Zero accidents.
That’s the goal of Steve Mahoney, chair of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, and George Gritziotis, chief prevention officer for Ontario.
Both men told a meeting of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario in Niagara Falls that their hope is to eliminate workplace accidents entirely.
Mahoney said he will continue to spread the message that reducing accidents is a priority and “the human thing” to do.
“We’ve got to stop this carnage” in workplaces, he said.
Although there has been a reduction in workplace fatalities, Mahoney said there are still too many occurring.
It’s “unbelievable” that 350 people are still buried every year in Ontario due to workplace accidents, he said.
Meanwhile, Gritziotis told the meeting there is no one solution to the problem and that it will require co-operation from both employers and workers.
He said he wants to bring stakeholders and experts together to work on a solution and eventually lay out a strategy to prevent workplace fatalities entirely.
While there are many different sectors with a variety of views on prevention, Gritziotis said he wants to bring everyone into the fold.
Gritziotis said he wants to create a culture of safety and zero tolerance towards workplace injuries.
“This is about workers going home at the end of the day safe and healthy,” he said.
Patrick Dillon, business manager of the provincial building trades, said safety is a priority for unionized construction workers.
“There is nothing more important in the work that we do than (accident) prevention.”