Category: Union News

Trencher Matteo Stellino and backhoe operator Josh Eade are in action at the $89.9 million HWY 400 road widening construction project at King Rd. The Local 793 members are working for GIP Paving Inc., operating a Vermeer Commander II trenching machine and a Toromont CAT backhoe. Brother Stellino is trenching roughly 600 metres to accommodate a weeper tile to upgrade the drainage system. According to the province, about 122,500 vehicles pass through Aurora Road daily until south of King Rd. The road widening project aims to expand HWY 400 into eight […]

Image of Matteo Stellino

Image of Josh Eade

Trencher Matteo Stellino and backhoe operator Josh Eade are in action at the $89.9 million HWY 400 road widening construction project at King Rd.

The Local 793 members are working for GIP Paving Inc., operating a Vermeer Commander II trenching machine and a Toromont CAT backhoe. Brother Stellino is trenching roughly 600 metres to accommodate a weeper tile to upgrade the drainage system.

According to the province, about 122,500 vehicles pass through Aurora Road daily until south of King Rd. The road widening project aims to expand HWY 400 into eight lanes, including HOV lanes, a new truck inspection station and upgraded lighting, utility, and sewer systems.

Approximately 30 heavy equipment operators are on-site during peak production hours to complete the project.

Spotters are essential when working around different hazards at a job site. They are a second pair of eyes and ears for heavy equipment operators with limited visibility to maneuver safely. Spotting has been effective in preventing accidents, but there are safety precautions a spotter must follow to keep everyone safe. These include: Wearing highly visible clothing Avoid walking into the path of a vehicle, moving equipment, or a swinging load Avoid walking behind heavy equipment while spotting Stand where an aerial lift or equipment is going while flagging it […]

Spotters are essential when working around different hazards at a job site. They are a second pair of eyes and ears for heavy equipment operators with limited visibility to maneuver safely.

Spotting has been effective in preventing accidents, but there are safety precautions a spotter must follow to keep everyone safe. These include:

• Wearing highly visible clothing
• Avoid walking into the path of a vehicle, moving equipment, or a swinging load
• Avoid walking behind heavy equipment while spotting
• Stand where an aerial lift or equipment is going while flagging it back
• Scan a worksite for hazards and remove them before a job
• Focus on your job
• Do not use a phone, headphones, or other items that can be distracting while spotting
• Agree on hand signals before you start a spotting job
• Make sure you keep constant visual contact with the driver while the vehicle is in motion

Spotter plays a pivotal role in preventing accidents, minimizing workplace injuries, and maintaining a secure working environment by focusing on proper training, communication skills, and vigilance. This practice not only protects the spotter and equipment operators but also contributes significantly to overall workplace safety and productivity.

IUOE Local 793 stands as a dedicated advocate for the protection of all workers involved in building and maintaining Ontario. The importance of this mission cannot be overstated, emphasizing that safety is not a matter of chance – it’s a deliberate choice that each person must make.

“A prolonged heat event will begin today. Dangerously hot and humid conditions are expected through most of the week.”, Environment Canada said in a statement. Working under extreme heat can cause bodily stress and heat-related illnesses. Construction workers are especially susceptible to direct sunlight and humidity exposure. Drinking a cup of water every 20 minutes and wearing light-coloured clothing are preventative measures when working in such conditions. Local 793 operators who are concerned that employers are not taking appropriate steps to help workers avoid heat stroke and exhaustion should contact […]

“A prolonged heat event will begin today. Dangerously hot and humid conditions are expected through most of the week.”, Environment Canada said in a statement.

Working under extreme heat can cause bodily stress and heat-related illnesses. Construction workers are especially susceptible to direct sunlight and humidity exposure.

Drinking a cup of water every 20 minutes and wearing light-coloured clothing are preventative measures when working in such conditions.

Local 793 operators who are concerned that employers are not taking appropriate steps to help workers avoid heat stroke and exhaustion should contact their business rep.

For more information on how to prepare and recognize heat-related symptoms, visit https://iuoelocal793.org/heat-stress-signs-and-signals-2/

Heat Warning Alert from Environment Canada: https://weather.gc.ca/warnings/report_e.html?onrm19

Local 793 members employed by Richard Steel Ltd. are building a new parking garage as part of the $2.1 billion Ottawa Hospital’s Civic campus project. Brothers Stephane Deschamps, Mathieu Moreau, Simon Campeau Foucault, Apprentice Carl Thompson-Chartrand, and Manager Benoit Kenney are at the new Ottawa Hospital site with a Liebherr 500-ton crane for the next 12 to 14 months lifting precast pieces for the parkade. The four-storey building can accommodate 2,500 parking spaces, 310 secure indoor bicycle parking spots, and another 225 outside with a rooftop park. The $2.1 billion new […]

 

Being a father requires hard work and dedication. More than providing for your family, it’s about stepping up and showing up, influencing your children’s lives. Let’s honour and celebrate all the dads, stepdads, adoptive dads, and father figures in our lives. Happy Father’s Day!

Being a father requires hard work and dedication. More than providing for your family, it’s about stepping up and showing up, influencing your children’s lives.

Let’s honour and celebrate all the dads, stepdads, adoptive dads, and father figures in our lives.

Happy Father’s Day!

Local 793 Indigenous Relations Coordinator Jim Jacobs attended The Chiefs of Ontario Annual Chiefs Assembly and Regional Chief Election on June 11-13, hosted by his home community of Six Nations of the Grand River in Oshweken, ON. Brother Jacobs was staffing the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario (OETIO) booth, giving assembly attendees a chance to try their hand at the excavator simulator while also providing young Indigenous visitors with information on apprenticeships and training offered by OETIO as well as insight on life as an Operating Engineer. Pictured with […]

Local 793 Indigenous Relations Coordinator Jim Jacobs attended The Chiefs of Ontario Annual Chiefs Assembly and Regional Chief Election on June 11-13, hosted by his home community of Six Nations of the Grand River in Oshweken, ON.

Brother Jacobs was staffing the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario (OETIO) booth, giving assembly attendees a chance to try their hand at the excavator simulator while also providing young Indigenous visitors with information on apprenticeships and training offered by OETIO as well as insight on life as an Operating Engineer.

Pictured with Brother Jacobs (left) at the event is former Six Nations Chief Mark Hill (right).

  Nineteen inspectors from Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) visited the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario (OETIO) facility in Oakville to receive comprehensive training in job site compliance. During the training session, the Inspector’s Handbook, designed and created by OETIO for MLITSD, was presented and reviewed to provide information about proper safety inspections. The OETIO instructors also showed the inspectors critical areas of inspection on the tower cranes, mobile cranes, and drill rigs. This collaboration aims to ensure that industry standards are met and […]

Ministry of Labour inspectors group picture

MOL Visits OETIO image button

Ministry of Labour inspectors getting orientation about drill inspection

Ministry of Labour inspectors in the OETIO practical field

Ministry of Labour inspectors getting orientation about crane inspection

MOL Visits OETIO in the conference room

Nineteen inspectors from Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) visited the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario (OETIO) facility in Oakville to receive comprehensive training in job site compliance.

During the training session, the Inspector’s Handbook, designed and created by OETIO for MLITSD, was presented and reviewed to provide information about proper safety inspections. The OETIO instructors also showed the inspectors critical areas of inspection on the tower cranes, mobile cranes, and drill rigs. This collaboration aims to ensure that industry standards are met and proper job site compliance is maintained to decrease workplace accidents.

OETIO is a world-class training institute that offers crane operators, heavy equipment operators, and construction safety training programs to support the construction industry.

Local 793 member Alain Turcot operates a John Deere 470G LC excavator at 2625 Sheffield Rd. in Ottawa, where a new Amazon warehouse is being built. Working for Akman Construction, Brother Turcot is grading and excavating the future parking lot at the commercial warehouse centre. He has been a member of Local 793 since 2023.  

Local 793 member Alain Turcot operates a John Deere 470G LC excavator at 2625 Sheffield Rd. in Ottawa, where a new Amazon warehouse is being built. Working for Akman Construction, Brother Turcot is grading and excavating the future parking lot at the commercial warehouse centre. He has been a member of Local 793 since 2023.

It was a fun day had by all, as IUOE Local 793 held the 11th Annual Gary O’Neill Memorial Golf Tournament at Rattlesnake Point Golf Club in Milton. Proceeds from the tournament are donated to the Esophageal Cancer Program at University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto led by Dr. Jonathan Yeung, Director of the Esophageal Cancer Program and a surgeon-scientist in the Division of Thoracic Surgery. Esophageal cancer is the fastest growing cancer type in North America and the sixth most common cancer in Canada. This tournament and cause are […]

It was a fun day had by all, as IUOE Local 793 held the 11th Annual Gary O’Neill Memorial Golf Tournament at Rattlesnake Point Golf Club in Milton.

Proceeds from the tournament are donated to the Esophageal Cancer Program at University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto led by Dr. Jonathan Yeung, Director of the Esophageal Cancer Program and a surgeon-scientist in the Division of Thoracic Surgery. Esophageal cancer is the fastest growing cancer type in North America and the sixth most common cancer in Canada.

This tournament and cause are especially important to Local 793, as Gary O’Neill was president for 13 years until his untimely passing in 2011 due to cancer. He was an avid golfer, and this tournament is now held annually in his honour.

See more photos and a video from the 11th Annual Gary O’Neill Memorial Golf Tournament in the Summer issue of Making Tracks, the magazine, available to members in digital format before the end of the month.

Former President Joe Redshaw (left) and President Dave Turple.

Business Manager Mike Gallagher.

L to R: Business Rep. Mike Barons, Business Rep. Robert Brooks, Local 793 Vice-President Mike Scott, and Business Rep. Paul Knight.

Eliminating the risk associated with electrical hazards require adequate knowledge and appropriate precaution. Ensure your company has done applicable measures, such as labelling all electrical equipment with correct Hazard Warning Labels to prevent injury or bodily harm caused by electrical shock and arc flash incidents. Know the appropriate voltage distance and protect yourself from electrical hazards! IUOE Local 793 stands as a dedicated advocate for the protection of all workers involved in building and maintaining Ontario. The importance of this mission cannot be overstated, emphasizing that safety is not a […]

Eliminating the risk associated with electrical hazards require adequate knowledge and appropriate precaution. Ensure your company has done applicable measures, such as labelling all electrical equipment with correct Hazard Warning Labels to prevent injury or bodily harm caused by electrical shock and arc flash incidents.

Know the appropriate voltage distance and protect yourself from electrical hazards!

IUOE Local 793 stands as a dedicated advocate for the protection of all workers involved in building and maintaining Ontario. The importance of this mission cannot be overstated, emphasizing that safety is not a matter of chance – it’s a deliberate choice that each person must make.