Virtual Breakfast Forum – May 11, 2023
At last week’s Virtual Breakfast forum, Anna-Maria Parente, VP of Human Resources at SureWerx, welcomed our members with a Land Acknowledgement, and a discussion around the importance of Reconciliation Day. It is now a recognized statutory holiday in BC, this year on Sept. 30th. Members discussed how to handle the Land Acknowledgement, understanding its importance, who should deliver it, and how to personalize it.
Members were engaged in a group discussion around the safety issues and challenges that are presenting themselves in each of their organizations.
Technical Safety BC shared a link to their recently introduced safety strategy, and they are working diligently to ensure that this new strategy is understood by their team members. Click here to see it.
A member shared what they use as a reporting app, called #notme. #NotMe is an ethical system that fosters corporate integrity and helps organizations manage and mitigate risks while building trust with their people. The concept of #NotMe provides a fair game for all, motivates and engages people in participating in the creation of safe places, and provides a greater ROI for organizations.
Another website for reporting was shared, called SiteDocs, which some members are currently using to build custom forms that are simple to fill-out and sign with follow-up actions, worker certifications, GPS locations, and offline support. This digital platform provides an easy way to create and distribute documents, and then track completion by worker, location or document name, in real-time. SiteDocs makes it easier for Prime and General Contractors to ensure participation and safety compliance from every Contractor on site.
Members are reporting lots of small little incidents on jobsites. It’s a reminder that Safety is not an add on, it’s a primary part of the job. As we all know – complacency is a killer. Be aware, pay attention to your own workspace and your surroundings, and regularly remind your team to do so as well.
A reminder of some of our upcoming events, we look forward to seeing you there.
- May 25– Site tour at AMPCO in Coquitlam, hosted by Dann Konkin
- June 15 – virtual breakfast forum presented by Kate Bailey, VP of Marketing & Communications at Technical Safety BC
- June 23 – the 2nd annual Kelowna trip! Don’t forget to register ASAP as tickets for this event are going fast.
- July 13 – virtual breakfast forum presented by UBSAFE, with a presentation on Guarding.
- August virtual breakfast forum (date TBD) – IDE (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity).
- 1st week September – virtual breakfast forum (general catch up)
- Sept 27th – The event we’re all looking forward to – EHSCBC’s RoundTable event held at the Terminal City Club, featuring keynote speaker Bill Elkington.
VBF-AGM – Apr 27, 2023
Thank you to the over 35 members who participated in today’s special Virtual Breakfast Forum. Tomorrow is the day before the official Day of Mourning, a day in recognition of people injured in workplace accidents. At this time of year, we typically host our AGM, as well as invite a special guest to speak to us from Threads of Life, a Canadian charity, dedicated to supporting families after a workplace fatality, life-altering injury or occupational disease. Today’s guest speaker comes from a very touching perspective, and has lived experience with a life altering injury. Russell Claus shared his moving account of the injury he sustained 13 years ago.
Russell shared his tragic accident, on the very last day of his Tree Planting contract, in Northern BC. Russell and his colleagues were pushing through, trying to beat their record of the number of trees planted on their final day. They pushed so hard that Russell, an experienced First Aid attendant, disregarded advice he would give to others and suffered from heat exhaustion and severe nausea. As a result, on the drive back to camp after completing his last day, he asked the driver to pull the truck over. While he was kneeling down to be sick outside the truck a series of events occurred which resulted in Russell being run over by the truck, and sustaining several injuries, including a pelvic fracture, a sacrum fracture, and a severed urethra.
Russell’s subsequent operations were successful, and he was able to walk again. But he shared the concept of how things can never go back to the way things were, before the accident. What you don’t see is the nerve damage that resulted, the loss of range of motion and GI issues. The uncertainty of the future became oppressive and stressful. Russell suffered from PTSD, some mental challenges, including feeling defeated, helpless, and scared during his recovery. The people closest to those sustaining the injury are also forever changed, and sometimes so are the relationships between them.
The key is prevention – sometimes there is no cure for the injury, or the ability to repair the damage that has been done. In Russell’s case, there was no case of a specific regulation that was contravened. Thankfully Russell is able to share his experience with us and others, to enlighten us all on the importance of always being vigilant and staying alert to keep everyone safe.
VBF-Apr 06, 2023
In today’s Virtual Breakfast Forum, we welcomed a new member who shared some interesting information about Chat GPT. Chat GPT is an AI chatbot that uses natural language processing and watches how language is used. It predicts what word will come next based on the previous word, topic and context. The drawback to the emergence of this system is that a lot of the entry level jobs could disappear, including jobs like paralegals and customer service jobs. Benefits are that it provides a non-threatening environment for workers to check their knowledge, chipping away at complacency and stress, which as a result, should reduce accidents in the workplace.
We held a quick regional discussion with members from Kelowna, the Island and the Lower Mainland. All areas are continuing to see unemployment rates continue to rise, challenging recruitment. A key demand from potential workers is money and flexibility in their time.
Kelowna is seeing a boom in Commercial/Residential/Industrial construction, which is bringing in a lot more manufacturing companies to the area, impacting further on availability of skilled workers.
On the Island, one member shared that due to supply chain delays, this has affected the ability to work safely in certain areas of their business. Start and finish dates aren’t changing, so workers find themselves stressed to complete the job on time, resulting in risky behaviour and rushing. We need to remind our teams that safety is paramount, and to continue to practice diligence and care when completing tasks.
Upcoming events include:
April 27th – Virtual AGM with speaker
May 25th – In person Breakfast Forum with tour of Ampco
June 15th – Virtual Breakfast Forum presentation from Technical Safety BC: their Annual State of Safety presentation
June 23rd – Kelowna Vibes trip – stay tuned for registration launch to come
Sept 27th – EHSCBC’s Annual Round Table event at the Terminal City Club. This year’s keynote speaker is Bill Elkington, Chairman of the JV Driver group
VBF-4Day Work Week-Mar 09, 2023
In today’s Virtual Breakfast Forum, members and guests were treated to an enlightening presentation by EHSCBC Board Member, Dr. Cameron Stockdale, President & CEO of the Work Wellness Institute, on “The 4 Day Work Week”.
Dr. Stockdale shared some interesting statistics discovered through studies done on organizations in 2021 & 2022 including that some of those who introduced a 4 day work week for a trial period of 6 months saw 38% increase in revenues.
Implementing a 4 day work week takes a lot of work, and must be customized to your organization’s needs. There are different models that can be implemented, including closing the doors on a Friday, or working longer hours to make up the 40 hour week.
Studies have shown that the benefits of implementing a 4 day work week can include:
- Addressing labour market issues, having this job perk results in ability to hire from a bigger pool of people
- Addresses the health and wellbeing of employees
- Reduce office pressures: less people in the office at any given time
- business outcomes include increases in revenue, and staff retention, while overtime and absenteeism is reduced
- health & wellness outcomes include reduced levels of burnout, stress & fatigue, and improved work/life balance, mental and physical health
Despite the volume of work to lay the foundation of this project, there is a lot of value to your organization in the positive impact it has. People are spending more time with family, and childcare expenses drop.
It was found that 91% of companies who implement a 4 day work week will keep it after 6 month trial period. Staff are less likely to leave their job and there is a statistically significant reduction in the number of remote work days taken. The quality of work has improved, the number of people getting a second job decreased slightly, and only half of the employees felt the pace of work actually increased.
If you want to implement a 4 day work week in your own organization, where do you start? Do your own research starting by talking to your staff (communicate early and often). Give it time. Create policy and communicate it to your team. Network and get help from consultants. And finally, tell your customers. When they see your success, maybe they will jump on board with a 4 day work week, too.
This session was recorded for members to review.
BF at CFK-Feb 16, 2023
Site Visit to CKF a huge learning experience
Thank you to Amit Golan and his team at CKF Inc. for sponsoring the first EHSCBC Site Visit of 2023. After a brief round-table introduction of attendees, Amit dove right in and “talked safety shop”. Responsible for over 350 workers, spread over 4 locations, Amit has taken his safety planning to a very high level, including regular “scheduled” fire drills, having brought in a vaccination clinic during the early part of the covid pandemic and empowering his team to bring any thoughts or suggestions on how to make the workplace more safe to the table. “Anything can be brought to the table, and if it makes sense and is achievable, we will do it”. Amit shared their “Pre-Accident Investigation Form”, designed as a proactive way to address safety issues. You can download a copy here to get a feel of how his aspect works.
After the conversation and light breakfast, attendees were taken on a tour of the plants, seeing some of the operations in work. Highlights included seeing meat packaging being created, and even with the realization that CKF supplies most of the West Coast’s (both Canada and the States) needs for such products, it was amazing to hear just how many pieces are created. The product is 100% recyclable, something that many attendees did not realize.
Attendees were also able to see the pulp aspect of the operations, where literally millions of egg cartons are produced. Odds are very good that if you had eggs for breakfast today, they were shipped in CKF’s product. As members walked through the plants, Amit would occasionally branch off to say hi to various team members on the floor, knowing their names and checking on how they were doing.
After a 2-hour visit, members went back to their workplaces recharged and invigorated. The side discussions led to many thoughts on what employers could be doing differently, and how regardless of industry there are many overlaps in members businesses where they can learn and share from their experiences.
If you would like to host a Site Tour of your operations please reach out to the EHSCBC team and we will put you on the list!
The next Virtual Breakfast forum will be on March 9th, and will cover the “4-Day Work Week”, facilitated by Dr. Cameron Stockdale. Register now at this link.
VBF-Feb 09, 2023
We had a great group of leaders today discussing the value and challenges around having unionized workers. An interesting statistic was shared, that roughly 30% of organizations in BC are currently unionized.
British Columbian residents fill 55% of BC jobs, and it’s estimated that within 5 years that number will be down to mid-40’s. Employing immigrant workers will need to increase in order to fill positions, as well as paying employees more to retain them. We currently have more available positions in the province than we have people living in BC to fill them.
Members discussed that in contract negotiations, unions are hesitant to sign anything with a set percentage of wage increase, preferring minimum and maximum percentage increases instead. The current climate of inflation being as high as it currently is, plus workforce shortages, creates a very difficult time to negotiate contracts. If you’re finding yourself in a position to negotiate a union contract, it was recommended that you find a labour lawyer to get a clear understanding of the rules on both sides.
Ultimately, when companies build good work environments, keep employees happy and feeling part of a solid team, they will be more likely to retain the employees. What’s important is that the employee believes that their health and safety is being put first.
A reminder of the Site Tour on Thur. Feb. 16th at CKF. Please sign up through the website – join us for breakfast!
In March we’ll be featuring a presentation from Dr. Cameron Stockdale on the 4-day work week.
VBF-SkilledTrades-Jan 26, 2023
Today’s Virtual Breakfast Forum was very well attended by Members and guests alike. Rod Bianchini, Chief Strategy & Compliance Officer with Skilled Trades BC (formerly Industry Training Authority) shared a compelling presentation unveiling their expanded role in advancing BC’s skilled trades system, and implementing Skilled Trades Certification.
Skilled Trades BC works with 40 training providers across the province, supports over 40,000 apprentices and has over 10,000 employer sponsors.
BC is the only province in Canada that doesn’t have compulsory trade certifications. However, in June 2022 the Government of BC announced that there will now be a mandatory Certification Program that will be administered by Skilled Trades BC. The Skilled Trades Certification program will be phased-in to high-demand industries such as Electrical, Mechanical and Automotive, and will target 10 trades within these industries. A great deal of industry consultation was done prior to implementation of the new system.
Rod shared an interesting statistic: for every 8.9 job seekers there are 10 job vacancies, and it’s expected that the increase in jobs will continue to outpace workers. There are 85,000 workers needed over the next 10 years to meet the supply gap. What is the solution? An increased labour force, a reduction in attrition or increased automation. Skilled Trades BC is working with Immigration and BCIT to attract more workers and to educate new workers on the benefits of a career in Trades.
This presentation was recorded and EHSCBC Members can review it if they were unable to attend the forum.
A reminder of our next Virtual Breakfast Forum which will be a General Forum, is on Thursday February 9th.
On February 16th, we have our first in person site tour at CKF. Space is limited, please register at this link.
Rod’s presentation link can be downloaded at this link.
VBF-Jan 12, 2023
Happy new year to all of our Members! We kicked off 2023 with a solid attendance, including some of our newest members. It was unanimous that we are all happy to be starting off a new year with COVID not being the primary focus. We began the discussion getting regional updates from Victoria, Kelowna, Prince George, and the Greater Vancouver Area.
The weather in December posed a big challenge to many businesses. Workers were not able to get in to work due to the large amounts of snow, and safety was a big concern both for customers and staff during the snowstorm.
Throughout all of the regions, labour shortages continue to pose major challenges to leaders. Some leaders reported not seeing any interest in job postings. Potential employees are demanding wages that workers with much more experience would normally command. To attract staff, leaders must present a compelling package, not just higher wages, including additional vacation days and benefits such as access to an office gym. Leaders are having to find more creative ways to present desirable packages for potential staff to join their team.
Some existing staff express that they are expected to return to work but would prefer to work from home or use a hybrid model. Their colleagues are picking up more work in the office for those who don’t come in. Even with wage increases, leaders are finding that their workers are still not being able to make ends meet.
There was a fair amount of discussion around the concept of a 4-day work week, and it was agreed that we would dive deeper into this topic by dedicating a Virtual Breakfast Forum to this discussion. One member is already offering a 4-day work week. It was reported that with the change in their schedule, potential retirees remain longer in their position.
Our next Virtual Breakfast forum is being held on January 26th, with a presentation from Skill Trades BC. This forum will be open to guests as well.
On February 16th, Amit Golan from CKF will be hosting the first in person Breakfast Forum in several years. This forum will have a mandatory registration, please register early. This will include a facility tour: attendees will be asked to bring steel-toed boots and safety vests.
Suite 600, 777 Hornby St. Vancouver, BC V6Z 1S4 | Phone: 778-776-6136 | gwhiggins@ehscbc.ca