By paNOW Staff

Workplace safety presentation hits nail on head

May 10, 2018 | 5:00 PM

Andrew Hann was a 25-year-old scaffolder working at a mine southwest of Saskatoon when he fell to his death in 2013. Now, a fall protection demonstration trailer travels across the province in his memory. It is part of the North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) organization’s event to raise awareness of workplace safety.

“We want workers, no matter where they work or what industry they work in, to go home the same way they showed up at work,” Mike Moore, safety advisor for the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association, said. 

Trades workers, police officers, firefighters and even students from Carlton Comprehensive Public High School were invited to watch demonstrations and ask questions with safety professionals Wednesday afternoon in the Art Hauser Centre parking lot. Organizers expected at least 300 people to learn about eye protection, asbestos awareness and fall protection among other safety issues.

“We get jaw dropping reactions when we show the damage that a crowbar can have on a Styrofoam head from seven feet up and compare that to the protection and deflection you get when doing something as simple as wearing a hard hat,” Moore said.

According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, over 700 Canadian workers per day sustain eye injuries on the job, resulting in lost time or temporary or permanent vision loss. One of the NAOSH presentations showed the protection certified safety glasses have over regular sunglasses when hit with a nail gun just eight inches away.

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“It’s just an important presentation and a good reminder to be safe,” said Ed Elliot, a local carpenter. “The fall protection demonstration was also quite remarkable because they show you the effects of using an improper harness.”

Moore said falls contribute to the highest likelihood of being taken out of the workforce long term.

The NAOSH event was also a fundraiser. Proceeds from a barbecue at the event go to support families of workplace incident and fatalities.

panews@jpbg.ca

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