On April 11 approximately 150 people who work in construction and the oilpatch gathered for the Saskatchewan Common Ground Alliance annual contractor safety breakfast at the Beefeater Plaza in Estevan.
The event was one of 28 such breakfasts held throughout the province as April is Safe Digging Month in Saskatchewan.
The event focused on ensuring safe digging practices are used at all times when working around underground and overhead infrastructure. To that end, the breakfasts promoted awareness of the Click Before You Dig and Look Up and Live initiatives.
Chantal Bourassa with Tundra Energy Marketing Limited welcomed those present before rolling the video. This year’s video was presented like a news broadcast, with broadcaster Jason Matity playing the role of anchor and reporter. The pretend news broadcast even had a ticker running along the bottom of the screen, providing safety facts.
One of the contractors in the video was Tyler Kuntz of Future Fence in Regina. He touched on five steps to safer digging.
Kuntz said the first step is to call Sask 1st Call or go online to sask1stcall.com. Since not every utility is a member of Sask 1st Call, it’s important to consider other facilities that might be present, like rail, water or municipal services.
Secondly, one should wait the required time for lines to be located. During this time you can develop a work plan and perform a hazard and risk assessment. White lining the work area allows line locators to focus on the defined area of work. A black line does the same thing, in snow conditions.
Next it’s important to locate accurately. This includes checking the record of locates available and seeing if it matches the work.
Respecting the marks is key. This includes understanding crossing agreements and approvals, as well as pre-job tailgate meetings.
Finally digging carefully includes exposing lines as required by facility owners and using safe mechanical excavation procedures.
Hollis Coghill of Pro Line Construction in White City spoke of how safety is a team effort, and one shouldn’t take shortcuts.
Chris Greif with Saskatchewan Occupational Health and Safety talked about recent changes to prime contractor rules, having a written safety plan and a designated safety supervisor. He noted there are fines that can go up to $500,000 for an individual or $1.5 million for a corporation.
Finally, Jason Prokopetz of STARS air ambulance described their remote site registration program which costs $150 per year to register and $6 per day, per site.
