Michael Lewis
Special to Ontario Construction News
For Clive Thurston, safety on the job is a matter of persuasion, not punishment.
Motivated by the infamous Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) Prevent It Campaign launched in 2007 that uses extreme shock realism such as depicting a worker burned by high-voltage wires to capture attention, Thurston said it was time for an innovative approach.
“Trying to scare people and trying to force them into training without giving them a reason was not working. People were still getting hurt,” said Thurston, a recipient of the inaugural League of Champions (LOC) Craig Lesurf Construction Safety Leadership Award and former president of the Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA).
“If you try to force people the human reaction is to resist,” Thurston told Ontario Construction News. “We had to try and change the culture, to get people adopting safety not because somebody threatened to fine them but because it was the right thing to do.
“Running all these weird commercials with people getting blown off buildings – that’s really encouraging people to get into construction. We wanted to develop something where we could go into schools and companies and talk about the importance of safety being everyone’s responsibility, not just on sites but in the office.”
Presented at the LOC’s annual general meeting just north of Toronto in mid-October, the award also recognized former OGCA executive director David Frame and Jason Ball, president of Ball Construction.
Thurston said discussions with Rob Ellis and other safety leaders led to creation of the LOC, a non-profit health and safety advocacy group in Ontario that has grown to 128 member companies and service organizations.
Through My Safe Work, a not-for-profit registered charity, Ellis has promoted workplace safety since 1999, when his 18-year-old son, David, was killed by an industrial mixer at a large bakery. Ellis said David had been left alone on the factory floor without training.
The League concept evolved after a 2015 breakfast meeting near Ottawa among Thurston, Ball, who was also OGCA chair, Frame, a former OGCA executive vice president and Craig Lesurf, president of Toronto-based builder the Gillam Group and then-OGCA safety committee chair. After beginning life as a unit of the OCGA, the LOC became a self-financed distinct entity in 2016.
Thurston said the LOC message is simple: “Safety is not something to be delegated to a safety officer. Everyone must be involved.” The entire workforce needs to adopt safe practices so that safety harnesses and barriers become second nature.
“People liked the idea, it caught on, and the jerseys were a big hit,” Thurston said, noting that LOC members receive a white and red jersey featuring a maple leaf and safety crest as a pledge to promote physical and psychological safety on job sites. The LOC name was inspired by a Sean Connery superhero film released in 2003, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. “It was not that great movie, but it got me thinking.”
Thurston, who began offering claims consulting to the construction industry after 20 years at the OCGA, is the former owner/operator of a Toronto-based construction company after starting as a construction labourer at 16.
A speaker at organizations including the Osgood Law Society, his work at the OCGA reflected the growing importance of health and safety at construction sites. Working with the association’s safety committee he helped create the Certificate of Recognition (COR) program in Ontario which since 2012 has certified that firms are controlling workplace hazards through annual audits. Infrastructure Health and Safety Association contracted research showed COR certified firms had a 28 per cent improvement in lost time performance. Thurston called the COR program the premier standard for health and safety in Ontario.
Speaking of the League of Champions, Thurston said he is grateful that it has endured “and I appreciate them recognizing my role.”
Brian Leech, LOC executive director, said in addition to the leadership award the League introduced the Craig Lesurf Construction Safety Ingenuity Award. The IHSA was recognized for its See Something, Say Something campaign, with stakeholder and client engagement director Deborah Moskal, who was involved in the campaign’s creation, accepting the award.
Leech said the awards came about after a discussion with former LOC chair Harold Reinders, who suggested an award recognizing leaders showing commitment to safety and safety culture.
“I thought this was an amazing idea,” Leech said. “We decided to go with two awards, one recognizing a leader and another recognizing ingenuity, which are both critical in improving safety and safety culture across the construction industry.”
