At MPS our Health & Safety Program is comprised of both Occupational and Operational safety and is based upon three fundamental procedures: training, accountability & prevention, and continual improvement. Together, these strategies help build a “culture of safety” within our daily workplaces and job sites and require all our team members to understand their roles & responsibilities towards health & safety on a daily basis.
Health & Safety training at MPS is comprehensive, ongoing, and focuses mainly on personal safety responsibilities, hazard recognition, tool & equipment safety, and “hands-on” competency demonstrations. Beginning with the onboarding orientation process, the new MPS worker is provided with a full day of in-class and hands-on instruction, with trained instructors working with them to evaluate their progress. Weekly “tailgate” training sessions are conducted in small groups throughout the season to continually highlight health & safety awareness, review key policies, discuss prevention strategies, identify workplace hazards, and allow for worker feedback and discussion opportunities. Additional training is required as the worker progresses to use more hazardous equipment or machinery or takes on new job responsibilities.
Accountability & prevention go together, with Daily Worksite Hazard Assessments performed each morning by our staff as a great tool for maintaining individual health & safety awareness on the job site. They are also a great source of raw data for analyzing hazards of the most concern for the various tasks and types of work our crews regularly perform. Accountability for safety also includes performing Worksite Inspections, completing Incident Reports, and having a very committed Joint Health & Safety Committee lead in evaluating the ongoing success of the MPS Health & Safety program. In addition, leadership training and Ministry of Labour Health & Safety for Supervisor training is mandatory for those in crew leader or management positions.
Finally, one of the most important procedures for occupational health & safety is a commitment to continual improvement. Being able to measure and analyze our health & safety performance accurately, identify weaknesses or gaps that exist in our program, and then provide solutions for improvement is essential to keeping our team members safe. There is always something we can be doing better and recognizing that fact aids in driving our health & safety program forward.
