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WorkSafeBC congratulates winners in construction safety
Richmond, B.C., November 10, 2006 — Three B.C. companies have been recognized for their innovations in construction safety as part of the 18th annual Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) Awards of Excellence ceremony held at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver.
“We sponsor the health and safety innovation in construction category of these awards as one way to recognize companies who advance safety in this industry,” said Vincent Russell, Director Industry and Labour Services at WorkSafeBC. “Safety is absolutely critical in construction. Last year there were about 8,600 injuries in B.C.’s construction sector.”
One gold and three silver winners were presented with awards in safety. Harris Rebar, a division of Harris Steel Ltd in Delta received the gold award for developing and subsidizing the cost of producing a work belt with a fall protection safety harness for construction workers. Incorporating a harness into the work belt helps to ensure that construction workers use a fall protection system where they might not and produces a product that is ergonomically better and of less cost than two separate units.
The Ledcor Group of Companies in Vancouver was recognized for two safety innovations resulting in silver awards. The first was for addressing fall protection particular to structural steel buildings. The BCIT Aerospace project in Richmond was used as a test structure where it was found that steel cable supports provide the solution for an effective protection system. The second award was for offering all workers on their sites the use of a variety of commonly used materials relating to safety such as emergency communication devices, hearing protection, disposable respirators and danger tape.
PCL Construction in Abbotsford received a silver award for a stretch program that motivates their construction workers to “limber up” before a shift. PCL put research theory into practice on the value of stretching and exercise prior to activity hoping to impact not only the overall health and wellness of employees but also to limit the number and severity of workplace incidents.
In total, the VRCA Awards of Excellence recognized 21 construction contractors in eight project categories for their use of innovative techniques, new materials or exceptional project management skills for bringing their projects in on-time and on-budget.
Serving nearly two million workers and about 185,000 employers, WorkSafeBC is a provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors and funded by employers. WorkSafeBC was born out of a compromise between B.C.’s workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers or fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. WorkSafeBC is committed to a safe and healthy workplace and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits to workers injured as a result of their employment.
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Gladys Johnsen
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