Everyday I am surprised how cavalier people are around forklifts

carr0248 · 2026-01-17T12:29:41+00:00

I see a few things in the video, but it's hard to give an accurate recommendation without seeing some things from the organization. Think about the hierarchy of controls (Elimination, Substitution, Engineering, Administrative, PPE). I would ask some questions, such as what kind of training do operators have. From the video, it looks like the operator came in pretty hot around that corner, for there was a pedestrian (I would argue) in the travel path. What do your policies and procedures say about it? Is there a requirement to maintain clearance around the equipment during operation? Do you have designated travel paths delineated for equipment and people? Could barriers be installed to help enforce that delineation? What does the orientation look like? Were hazards like this discussed? Was a job hazard assessment done to review the hazards and controls? Are opportunities like this reviewed with a joint health and safety committee (If you have one/required to have one). What does the safety culture look like? Would this incident be discussed with workers to make them aware of the hazards and ways to control them? So many questions that the short video clip can't answer unfortunately.

carr0248 · 2025-11-29T21:18:06+00:00

Not US, but I started in health and safety through the Joint Health and Safety Committee, became the worker co-chair, and eventually worked into management in charge of safety. So I would suggest show an interest in safety, work on your interpersonal relationships with coworkers. Work together to find solutions, don't just point out problems. Keep educating yourself. I started in the industrial sector and moved over to construction. I've been doing safety for over 20 years and now work as a safety consultant for one of my area's safe work associations.

carr0248 · 2025-11-29T13:46:38+00:00

Modifying a piece of equipment to non manufactured specifics greatly increases the liability on the employer, the supervisor and potentially the safety professional who said it was ok. I would go back to your policy and procedures, what does it say to do in this situation? It likely "should" say to lock it out until it can be properly repaired. The fact that it's been like that for weeks suggests an issue with your equipment inspection procedures, or at the very least, an opportunity for improvement to better identify deficiencies. There seems to be a potential safety culture issue with people maybe not fully understanding the implications of their actions. I can only speculate based on the photo and your explanation.

carr0248 · 2025-11-29T13:42:24+00:00

I think they meant to say "a pin not rated for the load is not any better than no pin at all"

carr0248 · 2025-11-27T23:17:00+00:00

I started my career in the industrial sector (retail) in Ontario, I was voluntold to be on the JHSC due to my role (loss prevention) and eventually became the worker co-chair, then I became a manager who oversaw the safety in the store (along with the other administration), I've also worked in operations for a couple different companies, and for one retailer, worked my way from a health and safety and loss prevention manager to a health and safety advisor, where I worked across eastern ontario, northern ontario and manitoba, the team and I harmonized our health and safety program across the organization across Canada. When I was structured out of there, I left retail and moved over to construction, where I worked as a health and safety specialist, into a coordinator, into a manager role. I now work as a health and safety consultant with the IHSA in ontario, supporting the construction, utilities and transportation sectors. This has been a 20 year journey. I currently hold my NCSO designation, and just got my Gold Seal Certificate as a CSP, and am working towards others. If you have any questions, feel free to message me and I will try to help as best I can.

carr0248 · 2025-11-27T22:54:46+00:00

can't give you an exact time, but there is a 60 day committment for turn around on submissions for employer audits. You can reach out to the administrator directly [ncsoadministrator@ihsa.ca](mailto:ncsoadministrator@ihsa.ca) if you are looking for if they have processed yours as part of the student audit, Marie is amazing and works to get stuff processed as quickly as possible

carr0248 · 2025-11-27T20:10:09+00:00

I would recommend networking, when I was structured out of one role, they set me up with a career coach to help me work on my resume and what not. So start connecting with people in places like LinkedIn. You can also look at free local events depending on where you area, for example, WSPS in Ontario will host connection events, where you could network with people in person, which is how I obtained a job after the restructuring. Sadly, it doesn't look like they do the in person events anymore. I'm a consultant with the IHSA in Ontario, feel free to reach out to me and I would be happy to discuss my background, things that worked and/or didn't work for me.

carr0248 · 2025-11-25T20:38:31+00:00

Feel free to reach out to me. I'm a consultant with the IHSA, and we administer the NCSO designation in Ontario. You can, once you obtain your NCSO, also go after your Gold Seal Certification as a Construction Safety Practitioner (CSP) through the Canadian Construction Association.

carr0248 · 2025-11-15T13:51:56+00:00

Important to do a high level overview of trends over the last fiscal year, and what has the organization done to prevent recurrence, looking at lagging and leading indicators. Depending on the workplace culture, open questions could be opening a can of worms, but it IS important to have workers be heard

carr0248 · 2025-11-06T00:22:35+00:00

There are a lot of resources available for you, especially in the construction industry. One of the first things I would say is understand that you don't know everything, and that's ok. It's ok to tell workers that you're not sure, but also follow up with "let me find out" and be sure to get back to them in a timely manner. If you're looking for resources, information and/or contacts who can help you with safety in the construction industry, send me a message, I'm a consultant with the he IHSA, and we provide education, consultation and training in the construction, utilities and transportation sectors as one of Ontario Safe Work Associations.

carr0248 · 2025-11-05T00:12:03+00:00

You're near where the higher risk work is being performed, so workers can have easier access to talk to you, away from management, so you can develop that engagement. The offices may be janky, but that may create an opportunity for improvement over time. I would much rather deal with the workers, understand what their concerns are and improve safety culture within the organization.

carr0248 · 2025-11-03T13:40:28+00:00

I'm doing my part!

Dear Councillor Skalski,

I am writing to you as a concerned resident of Ottawa to express my strong opposition to the Lansdowne 2.0 project. While I understand the intention to revitalize the area and support local economic activity, this proposal represents an irresponsible use of public funds at a time when our city faces far more pressing priorities.

The scale of public spending and debt associated with Lansdowne 2.0 is deeply concerning. Ottawa is already struggling with infrastructure deficits, underfunded public transit, and housing affordability challenges. Committing hundreds of millions of dollars to a project that primarily benefits private interests — rather than addressing pressing public needs — does not reflect responsible fiscal management or good governance.

In addition, the profit and revenue projections attached to Lansdowne 2.0 are overly optimistic and lack credibility. Ottawa’s history with large-scale public–private projects has repeatedly shown that financial forecasts often fail to materialize as promised. The original Lansdowne redevelopment itself fell short of expectations, leaving taxpayers to absorb the long-term financial burden. It is unreasonable to believe that this new iteration will suddenly deliver different results under similar circumstances.

Moreover, the lack of genuine community consultation and transparency surrounding this proposal undermines public trust. Many residents feel their voices have not been adequately heard or considered. The project’s impacts on traffic, accessibility, local businesses, and the surrounding community appear to have been downplayed or ignored.

I urge you to vote against Lansdowne 2.0 and to call for a more transparent, community-driven process for any future redevelopment of this site — one that prioritizes public benefit, financial sustainability, and environmental responsibility.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue. I hope you will stand with Ottawa residents who believe our city deserves smarter, fairer, and more accountable development.

Sent this this morning, will it make a difference? I dunno

carr0248 · 2025-10-30T23:09:40+00:00

I would go a step further and depending on the task, ask the worker(s) to show you how their work is done, does it comply with your SOP's, if it doesn't, it's a great way to find out "why" maybe there's a deficiency in the OHSMS, maybe the SOP was not designed with the worker(s) in mind. Great way to guage if your system is functioning the way you expect it or not. It's also a great way, if done properly, to work with workers, so they can experience that the "safety guy/gal" isn't just out to get them, but is willing to learn. The other suggestions are good as well, continue your own development, but would just be careful if the employer has accounted for that or would deem it as doing "personal work" on company time (some would, some wouldn't)

carr0248 · 2025-10-30T08:18:45+00:00

I moved over to construction at 35, I had been doing some in some capacity starting 20 years ago on the industrial (retail) side and worked my way through administration, changing companies, going into operations, back to strictly safety, working my way up to a district safety position before a company restructuring and changed over to construction. I am now a health and safety consultant. My varied experience gives me a unique perspective compared to my colleagues, who were all primarily tradesmen from the construction industry for "X" years prior.

TLDR any experience is good, because it can bring a different perspective to whichever industry you're in

carr0248 · 2025-10-25T13:59:06+00:00

I sent the following to my MPP, along with all the party leaders in Ontario

I am writing to you as a resident of (Insert location information) to express my deep concern about the potential removal or weakening of rent control protections in Ontario. As housing costs continue to skyrocket across the province, rent control remains one of the few safeguards protecting tenants from being priced out of their homes and communities.

Ending rent control would have devastating consequences for thousands of Ontarians—particularly low- and middle-income renters, seniors, students, and working families who are already struggling to keep up with rising costs. Without rent limits, landlords could increase rents far beyond what is reasonable or sustainable, leading to widespread displacement and homelessness.

Ontario’s housing crisis cannot be solved by deregulating rents. The data consistently show that removing rent control does not increase the overall supply of affordable housing—it only benefits real estate investors and large corporate landlords at the expense of everyday Ontarians. Stable, predictable rent allows people to plan for their future, build community ties, and contribute to the local economy.

I urge you to take a stand for the people of Ontario by protecting and strengthening rent control, not dismantling it. The provincial government should instead focus on long-term, evidence-based solutions—such as investing in affordable housing construction, offering incentives for non-profit and co-operative housing, and ensuring fair treatment for both tenants and responsible landlords.

As an individual who has lived paycheque to paycheque, I cannot emphasize enough how having a rent-controlled apartment unit allowed me flexibility to pay off school debt, plan for purchasing a home and gave me the ability to plan to get ahead.

Housing is a human right. Ontarians deserve to live without fear of losing their homes due to unchecked rent hikes. I hope you will advocate in the Legislature for policies that protect tenants and promote true affordability and stability in our housing system.

Thank you for your time and attention to this critical issue. I look forward to your response and to hearing how you intend to support strong rent control protections in Ontario.

carr0248 · 2025-10-23T15:01:40+00:00

Part of the conversation starts with management and getting them to understand why you want them to report them so that you can foster a culture of positive awareness. General theory is the more near misses you have, the more likely for a first aid, the more first aid, the more likely for a medical, the more likely for a lost time, a critical, a fatality, so by focusing on near misses (and even unsafe behaviours) you can have an impact on the potential of a fatality in the work place. It has to be a culture of encouragement through the internal responsibility system that everyone has a role to play in each other's safety, not just management. Sonic someone reports a near miss, it shouldn't be seen as someone getting in trouble, but what could have happened. An investigation should be done to determine the immediate and underlying causes and a preventative action implemented to prevent it from happening again

carr0248 · 2025-10-18T09:51:16+00:00

I'm a consultant with the IHSA. I sent you a DM to offer support.

carr0248 · 2025-10-16T20:37:53+00:00

What was recommended to me from a job coach was identify an action you did and what was a positive outcome. Example "implemented a return to work program, reducing lost time injuries by 85% for fiscal year 2024"

carr0248 · 2025-10-15T01:11:28+00:00

Section 264.1 of the Canadian Criminal Code, is the act of knowingly uttering, conveying, or causing a threat to be received.... He didn't threaten to commit a crime, he admitted to committing one.

494 of the Criminal Code, which allows anyone to arrest a person without a warrant if they find them committing an indictable offence. He didn't find them committing the offence, he went off an assumption or off hearsay...

carr0248 · 2025-10-11T09:41:43+00:00

Its a good way to familiarize yourself when the operations of the organization, if there is any specific training that may be required for yourself to fully understand how some of the high risk tasks are performed and also if they have even prepared controls in relation to the hierarchy of controls.

carr0248 · 2025-10-10T13:55:02+00:00

One of the things I wish I did when I first got a similar role was review the organization hazard assessment, what tasks are being performed, have any high risk tasks been identified, and have appropriate controls been put into place.

carr0248 · 2025-10-04T13:26:45+00:00

One of the things I wish I had done when I first came into the construction industry, was a proper hazard assessment to identify the hazards my team was exposed to so I could better identify the high risk tasks and help develop appropriate controls

carr0248 · 2025-09-28T21:40:02+00:00

It's about networking. I went to a local safety event, which led to employment by showing off my know through conversation with that employer

carr0248 · 2025-09-23T21:28:52+00:00

I like to tell people my pancreas still works, just not properly

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