June 10, 2021 I used to be a Scout Leader for Scouts Canada and very much enjoyed volunteering for the organization.  A statement you will often hear in the Scouting community is “be prepared”. Today I share a story about a time I was not prepared.     I was at a local shooting range doing a Black Badge Course. The course provided fantastic safety training on …

June 2, 2021 Way back in April, I wrote a blog post on how to get into safety. Today, I will follow it up with a few tips that will help progress your career! without further ado, here are Dave’s Career Development Tips.  Begin with the End in Mind  You wouldn’t go on a road trip without an end destination in mind, would you?  Uh… never mind, bad example. Some …

May 24, 2021 Over the years, I have found it interesting how seemingly small hazards can add up to very large Workers Compensation Claims. In my experience, simple things like slips, trips, and falls have generated more claims (in total dollars spent) than larger, more spectacular incidents. Therefore, I have decided to call today’s blog post “Remove the Round Rock”.  Humans are both surprisingly injury resilient and yet fragile. I have seen people walk away from …

May 17, 2021 One service we offer is creating and performing external audits. An external audit, unlike an internal audit, is when an organization hires a consultant like myself to bring a fresh set of eyes and a new perspective on their safety operations.  Audits perform two functions:  Gives you a snapshot in time as to how your organization is performing.  This allows you to make decisions …

May 10, 2021 Many companies look for ways to save money on their WCB Premiums; reduce their incident severity rates; and return skilled workers to their regular duties as quick and efficiently as possible. In-line with safety, the best tool to use for this is Modified Work.  Modified work is providing reduced or alternate duties to a worker which allows them to return to work before they are …

May 3, 2021 Do I need an Emergency Response Plan?  In short, yes! Every organization should have an emergency response plan that suits their needs. Here’s a short story on why it’s so important.  Many years ago, I put an emergency response plan together for an organization which had an incident. People at the facility noticed a strong natural gas smell in the gym area.  There was a …

April 26, 2021 So, you want to get into the field of Occupational Health and Safety? Great choice! I love the career and it has been good for me. I actually get asked the question a lot and the answer really depends on where you are, what you know, and where you want to be. Safety professionals are hired by all sorts of …

April 19, 2021 This week I’d like to feature an organization I have worked with over the last couple of years: Tribal Chief’s Employment and Training Services Association or TCETSA. TCETSA, an Indigenous organization that operates on Treaty 6 territory and has a number of programs designed to help Indigenous people improve their skills and find employment.  Their initiatives include: The …