In Safe Hands: The Local Experts Protecting Our Workplaces
Each year, on April 28, Canadians observe the National Day of Mourning to honour workers who never returned home or whose lives were permanently altered on the job.
Along with remembrance, the day serves as a reminder of the work still needed to ensure workplace injuries and deaths become a thing of the past.
While workplace safety is important year-round, Safety and Health Week (May 4–9 this year) is an ideal time for businesses and organizations to refocus their efforts and prioritize keeping employees and worksites safe. Remember, it is better to be safe than sorry!
Keep reading as we introduce you to several of the professionals who guide and support Windsor Essex and Chatham Kent businesses and organizations in preventing injuries and promoting safe and healthy workplaces.
SafestWork Consulting Inc.
After a decade working as a labour inspector with the Ministry of Labour, Adrien LeBlanc, BA, opened SafestWork Consulting Inc. The company started as a sole proprietorship in 2016 and was registered
as a corporation in 2017.
LeBlanc worked in enforcement across the Ministry’s two main programs — industrial safety and construction safety — before becoming President of SafestWork. He now leads the operation as Principal Consultant alongside his wife, Paula LeBlanc, BFA, Vice-President, whose background in marketing, advertising, and graphic design allows their team to provide clear and concise training. SafestWork Consulting Inc. provides health and safety training for workers and supervisors, consulting services (including policy management, inspections, and incident investigations), and complex project management support, with experienced safety professionals working on-site with project managers to help ensure compliance with safety requirements.
The LeBlancs have a staff of 12, with four handling administration and eight working in the field. Each senior consultant brings more than 25 years of experience, with backgrounds in medical care, ergonomics, manufacturing, construction trades, and general health and safety. The business is a CPO-approved training provider, which means it is recognized by the Chief Prevention Officer of Ontario’s Ministry of Labour. This allows SafestWork to deliver specific health and safety training programs such as Working at Heights.
Their large classroom is well equipped with all the equipment needed to deliver hands-on, practical sessions, including access to heavy equipment for forklift and elevated work platform training.
To complement its in-person training, SafestWork is launching its online training platform this month. This added service helps reduce in-person training hours and minimizes time away from work. Training can also be delivered on-site, with trainers available to provide mobile services.
“We have gone to great lengths to make sure that our programs are aligned with the most recent standards to ensure that workers get the most accurate information available,” Adrien indicates. “Workers also get the benefit of convenient access to the in-person, hands-on practical elements that they can’t get elsewhere.”
Safety challenges are part of every business, and he points to tight budgets as the culprit for those with shortcomings.
“Often the contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder — so companies always have to find ways to cut costs, and safety programs are often a casualty of that approach,” Adrien comments.
He continues by stating: “We find that companies often think of safety protocols as an added cost. We engineer the safety precautions into the regular tasks so that they create efficiencies to either save time and money or avoid the costs and delays that safety incidents will ultimately cost the company.”
A positive trend Adrien has noticed is that companies are becoming more selective in choosing their safety partners.
“Increasing fines for non-compliance have many managers checking to make sure the training provided is actually meeting the standards,” he mentions. “We have also been re-training workers who initially got a
certificate from some other sources that didn’t meet current standards.”
Unfortunately, falls from heights are still a major cause of injury and death in the workplace.
“Proper training is proving effective in lowering injury rates, but a single death is one too many,” says Adrien. “Investigators are finding that those who are getting injured or killed often did not receive the required training.”
SafestWork Consulting Inc. encourages companies to regularly review their operations to identify opportunities to improve safety programs, procedures, and training. They also emphasize the importance of ongoing training, particularly for new workers and new Canadians, to make sure they understand their rights and how to report concerns. In addition, Adrien notes that WSIB claims must be properly managed
through a clear Return to Work program to support timely medical treatment and a safe return to regular duties: “This means that our clients who may have had penalties from the WSIB in the past are now able to apply for rebates.”
To partner with a certified safety provider, register for training, or book on-site services, visit the new location of SafestWork Consulting Inc. at 2825 Lauzon Parkway, Suite 212, Windsor.
READ MORE FROM TW SAFETY CONSULTING SERVICES INC.ERGONOW INCORPORATED, LUCIER GLOVE & SAFETY PRODUCTS INC. AND DOVER DUDS IN THE COVER STORY THAT CONTINUES ON PAGE 18 OF THE MAY EDITION BY CLICKING HERE.
