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HEALTH AND SAFETY
OGCA SAFETY SUMMIT
Influencing the future of health and safety in Ontario’s construction industry.
By ANDREW SAMPOGNA, OGCA Vice-President
N MARCH 6, 2025, the Ontario General
Contractors Association (OGCA)
hosted its inaugural Safety Summit, bringing together health and
safety professionals from across
the province to tackle one of the
construction industry’s most pressing
challenges — protecting workers and
preventing critical injuries and fatalities.
This gathering was not only a call to action
but also a collaborative effort to shape the
future of workplace safety in Ontario’s
construction sector.
The Safety Summit was held in response
to a request from Ontario’s Ministry of
Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills
Development (MLITSD). Speci昀椀cally, the
O昀케ce of the Chief Prevention O昀케cer (CPO)
sought insight from trusted industry partners to help explain and address concerning trends identi昀椀ed in recent data.
The CPO was directed to conduct a
detailed review and statistical analysis of
workers’ compensation claim data, alongside labour force estimates from Statistics
Canada’s Labour Force Survey. This review, covering a decade’s
worth of information from 2013 to 2023, aimed to identify the
individual and workplace factors linked to higher risks of critical
injury and fatality among construction workers.
Recognizing the OGCA’s longstanding commitment to health
and safety, the CPO invited the association and its members to offer their perspective on the 昀椀ndings. OGCA members, well known
for their passion and dedication to worker safety, were asked two
critical questions: “How do you explain these risks? And how do
you 昀椀x them?”
With these questions in mind, the Safety Summit became a
platform for meaningful dialogue and solution-focused brainstorming. Dr. Joel Moody, Ontario’s Chief Prevention O昀케cer, set
the stage by presenting the preliminary 昀椀ndings of the data review. His presentation highlighted several key areas that require
further exploration and attention.
Following the presentation, OGCA member health and safety
professionals engaged in spirited group discussions. Participants
were divided into groups, each assigned to consider the issues
from a speci昀椀c viewpoint — that of the worker, the supervisor,
or the employer/industry as a whole. This approach ensured a
well-rounded analysis and encouraged participants to think
deeply about practical solutions from multiple perspectives.
The passion in the room was palpable. From animated debates
to thoughtful brainstorming sessions, it was clear that the pro-
O
1
At the OGCA, we firmly believe that health and
safety is not proprietary. The challenges we
face as an industry are shared, and so too
must be the solutions.
1. CRAIG LESURF, Ogca Chair, President, Gillam Group
2. ENZO GARRITANO, President & Ceo, Infrastructure Health & Safety Association (Ihsa)
3. HAROLD REINDERS, President & Ceo, Maple Reinders Group
4. JANET BEWERS, Employer Health & Safety Consultant, Wsib
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