- Today as I was driving my kids to school I came across an interesting topic on CBC Radio's "The Current". The program was talking about the 10% of people in Canada who live below the poverty line, including children.
I listened with intensity as they talked about children who will wake up this Christmas morning with no presents, My stomach was knots as I thought about my own children and the beautiful presents they will receive.
"All we can hope for as a family is workplace safety." So said the aunt of a 24-year-old man killed in Toronto this week when a drilling rig fell onto his front-end loader on a construction site.
Kyle Knox's body was trapped within the cab of his loader for almost a day; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Five other male workers were hurt by the rig which also fell on top of a backhoe; they were all hospitalized with minor to major injuries.
I have just come back from Saskatchewan where I spoke to 700 business and government leaders in Regina and Saskatoon. I also took teams out to impact three high schools in Regina.
One of the amazing efforts we saw in that province is the mandatory Job Readiness Certificate (online test) that all 14 and 15-year olds must write and get it signed off by a parent or guardian. It makes good sense - similar to all new drivers having to write a beginner's licence test before they start driving.
I'm sure you've seen a sign like this as you approach a road crew - a warning sign reinforcing the seriousness of driving too fast through a construction zone.
Why such a big jump in the penalty - doubling the fines? Because you could be endangering the lives of those young women and men wearing the hard hats and safety vests while they improve your roads, that's why!
Everyone seems to accept the doubling of fines in these high-risk circumstances when it comes to road crew safety... so why don't we apply the same principle to workplace safety in general?
