2007 proved to be a full and eventful year when it came to health and safety. There were more workers, more vehicles on the road and, it seemed, an endless supply of work. With all this activity it is obvious that the health and safety attitude of everyone would be put to the test.

For the most part everyone seemed to increase their awareness of health and safety, but the few who did not seemed to have a very negative impact on our health & safety record. Unfortunately, injuries and lost time injuries were up as was vehicle accidents. Although this was an alarming sign, the result has been positive. There has been a renewed positive attitude towards health and safety. Steps have been taken to help reduce injuries and vehicle accidents.

On a more positive note there were several facilities that did not register a reportable injury in 2007, and to these we say well done and let’s strive to continue the trend.

Training continued throughout the year with the standard courses such as WHMIS review, fall protection, first aid, forklift etc.

As would be expected with all the work the company was completing, we were a favourite target of the Ministry of Labour (MOL). As expected, the increased number of visits from the MOL resulted in an increase in orders. Most of the orders to our company were of a minor nature, which indicates that we maintain a safe site. Unfortunately, some of our sub-contractors received orders while on our projects that were of a more serious type. More work is required to ensure that all workers on our projects are aware of their responsibilities under the Occupational Health & Safety Act and the applicable Regulations.

Overall health & safety for 2007 was an up and down year. We had some great accomplishments, but unfortunately some lows prevented us from having a great year. For 2008 there needs to be more diligence from all workers at all levels to strive to identify and correct safety hazards. This will go far to ensuring that all our workers go home at the end of the day. We need to help educate our sub-contractors so that they are aware of not only the legislated health and safety requirements, but also what we as a company expect when it comes to health and safety.

With everyone on board we can make 2008 a safe and productive year. Nothing we do is worth the life of a worker.