May 6-11 is Safety and health week, its goal is to raise awareness about workplace injury and illness.
Every day we work to teach drivers to be SAFER by classroom instruction and hands on coaching in the vehicle. What we do makes a difference, hopefully not only while they are at work but hopefully they carry over what they’ve learned to their personal life as well!!
* *Spring looks like it may finally be here, let’s all be extra vigilant not only around playground and school zones but everywhere we drive!!
April has been an interesting month; Mother Nature has thrown all kinds of curve balls at us. When we think of workplace injury and death, we don’t often consider that many of those deaths occur while driving for work. We have a chance every day when we come to work to hopefully make someone’s job that much safer as a direct result of our instruction or teaching!
17.5% off deaths last year involved Motor vehicles, what we do MAKES A DIFFERENCE!!
Stay Safe
Eldon Kehler Co – Chair Health & Safety Committee
Well as I’m sitting here writing this it appears that winter may be almost ready to hibernate!!
Don’t be deceived though because spring typically sees more trips and falls than any other season because of these crazy swings in temperatures!!
These crazy temperatures not only affect our walking but our driving as well, conditions can change hourly as do temperatures, so it provides a great opportunity to reinforce with our students the hazards they need to be aware of in this season in particular!
Remember when you see a hazard if you have the ability to safely deal with that hazard you need to do it!!
**Always looking for ideas and topics for newsletters so let us know if you have any!!
Eldon Kehler OH&S Co- Chair
Hello everyone,
I would love to say we are beginning the winter wind down process, but, as Instructors we cannot get overconfident, what thaws in the daylight, freezes at night and roads are slick in the mornings. It is good practice to drive knowing the roads are still in winter condition.
Again, any input for the newsletter would be appreciated as it allows me to pass on concerns and conditions to the whole group.
Taken from Hazard Assessment and Control Handbook:
“Hazard assessments and controls help build safe and healthy workplaces. They are at the core of every organization’s occupational health and safety program.
The hazard assessment and control process provides a consistent approach for employers and workers to identify and control hazards in the workplace. It allows everyone to focus their efforts in the right areas, and to develop worker training, inspections, emergency response plans, etc., specific to the hazards at their work sites.
Alberta’s occupational health and safety laws require employers to conduct hazard assessments and to eliminate the identified hazards. If they cannot be eliminated, the employer must introduce controls to protect against the hazards.”
“Quality” by definition means; “The standard of something measured against other things of a similar kind” … at Fleet Safety the Quality of our instruction is second to none, because we believe there is no such thing as “Good enough”.
Stay safe out there.
Bob Chomany Co-chair FSI Health & Safety Committee
Hello everyone,
Well, 2024 arrived with easy-to-handle temps but nature stepped up as she usually does and tried to turn us all into popsicles. Please remember to dress for the conditions, drive to conditions and don’t dwell on the conditions (winter won’t last long) positive energy will always make the day go smoother.
A reminder to send any suggestions or additions for the newsletter to me anything would help. Also, these cold temps wreak havoc on the skid trucks, IF they start, chances are they may not perform well, (the hydraulics will fail) so be prepared to go to plan B, a controlled low speed drift in 2-wheel drive and traction control off, can result in a controlled skid with controlled recovery, for some inexperienced drivers this can work wonders.
“Although Alberta’s occupational health and safety legislation doesn’t specifically address working in cold weather, employers must protect workers and others at or around the work site from potential hazards. Also, workers must take reasonable care to protect the health and safety of themselves and others in the vicinity of the work site.”
The track is our worksite, care must be taken to ensure instructors and clients are using reasonable care to ensure their safety and well-being.
Watch your footing at the office in the parking lot, or at the track offer help if need be.
Let’ s all Stay Safe out there!!
Bob Chomany Co-chair FSI Health & Safety Committee
Welcome to December our last chance to enjoy 2023, the holiday season means higher awareness levels out there on our roads and as instructors it means a little extra effort from us to our clients to ALWAYS make the right driving choices.
Our last safety meeting of the year was held Dec 05, safety documents were once again updated and are available for all employees to read and stay current, old business remains the same:
Track etiquette
Skid truck throttle tolerance
Pick up your cones.
Paperwork procedures
Lock in the downward position on the gate.
OH&S news:
Driving in winter can present challenges to even the best of drivers. For workers who must drive as part of their job, there are a few controls that can help mitigate hazards associated with driving. Some of these, such as checking road conditions before a trip, allowing more time, ensuring vehicle is in good operating condition, and driver mental awareness, are especially important as we enter the winter driving season.
T’was the night before Christmas
And on all the roads,
All Santa’s helpers were securing their loads,
Measures were taken to ensure a safe trip.
Even cleats were adorned to prevent sudden slips.
Fleet Safety was busy getting clients booked in,
For a new year of safe driving soon would begin,
Instructors were told once more for good luck.
To pick up the cones that were hit by their truck.
It’s important to us to use all the right tools.
So, drivers make choices that adhere to the rules.
Ease up on those brakes when black ice appears.
You don’t need your muscles to control how you steer.
No stress and no worries will keep everyone well.
Don’t over process and things will be swell,
In closing I say with my smile so bright
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
Bob Chomany Health and Safety C0 Chair
Hello everyone,
Welcome to a new month with old news, the weather is getting colder, days are getting shorter, and drivers are getting impatient, so we as instructors need to pack a little more. I remind you that we are not just about safety but also respect, consistency and the premise that there is no such thing as “good enough”. We want our clients to walk away from a course with something, and if nothing else, a little more confidence in themselves, so as instructors, please don’t teach the idea of “good enough’, instead promote the positive approach of “worth doing it well”.
Dress for the day, wear your layers, if it’s icy pack your cleats, dot your I’s and cross your t’s on the paperwork, pick up your cones and let’s enter a new year with new goals.
Stay Safe
Bob Chomany Co-Chair FSI Health and Safety
Hello everyone,
Well, here we are in October and getting our first blast of winter. Please remember to dress for the weather. Proper footwear is very important as we need to be aware of slips trips and falls. When you are travelling out if town remember we have cleats in the trucks so be sure to wear them when setting up or taking down the track.
Once again it has been brought to my attention that we are not picking up cones when they get knocked down. WHY? It only takes a minute to get out and fix them, and it is not just for you what about the other instructors and students behind you.
Another thing to remember is we have a pail out at the track that has washer fluid in it for keeping the windows clean on the skid trucks. If it is empty, there are jugs of washer fluid in the shack to refill it.
With Halloween just around the corner remember to watch for all the goblins that will be on your roads as they will be excited and not paying attention to the traffic around them.
The Health and Safety Committee will soon be looking for replacements for the next two-year cycle so please feel free to nominate someone or volunteer for the next Committee.
Stay Safe
Wade Stewart Co -Chair Health and Safety committee
Hello everyone,
Happy September, schools are in, kids are out, our awareness levels need to be heightened while driving on our own or with clients.
Remember this month our Audit is taking place and interviews are happening, if you have any questions be sure to ask the Safety Committee and refresh your memory by reading the safety manual again.
Please adhere to the roadblocks that are placed at the track, generally the South side Collision avoidance gets wet after a rainfall, and it takes a bit to dry it out and grade it. Also remember to check the wind direction if it is coming from the south use the south track and if it is from the north use the north track as this gives the dust time to fall and not blow onto the houses near the track and requires less watering of the track.
Please remember to treat the skid truck with respect, it is an old truck and fabulous tool for us to share skid control procedures.
Did you know that a vehicle used for work purposes while away from a work site (such as when delivering a parcel, or being driven between offices) is itself considered a work site? Did you know that the hazard assessment requirements specified in Alberta’s OHS legislation apply in such cases, even if it’s a personal vehicle?
Bob Chomany Co -Chair Health and Safety committee
Hello everyone,
Just a recap of our yearly staff meeting, thank you to Randy for bringing us up to speed with what’s to come, the most important thing we walked away with was, it’s good to chat among your peers but it is equally as important to share your thoughts with Management or the Safety committee, so your concerns can be known and dealt with.
We covered the ongoing issues, the main one being paperwork and it was emphasized on how important it is to do it right, as well as new paperwork/walk around procedures for road trips. Changes have been made to the Health and Safety manual and will be uploaded to our website shortly. (9.1page 102) We teach the importance of driver responsibility to our clients, and we need to make it happen among ourselves. Do not let complacency become part of your job.
A reminder as well the slow to 60km/hr rule is still in effect as always and has not changed in Alberta, we will keep you posted if anything new transpires.
Our COR Audit is happening from the 25 to 27th of September, interviews will be taking place in the office so please review the H&S manual and if you have any questions, let us know.
Stay safe.
Bob Chomany Co-Chair FSI Health and Safety
Hello everyone,
Well, it is officially summer, and we are already dealing with very hot temperatures, so we need to be cautious to avoid getting heat stress.
Early warning signs of heat stress could include irritability, headaches, muscle cramps, dehydration. Some of the things we can do to prevent heat stress, wear suitable clothing for the heat take extra breaks if needed and drink plenty of water and use sunscreen.
The second set of COR questions have been sent to you so please answer and reply by July 20,2022. We have a safety meeting set for July 21/2022, so if you have any topics, you want discussed please let one of the safety committee members know and we can include them in the meeting. It looks like we will be busy through the summer as our clients are trying to catch up on the training missed during COVID.
Let us all have a safe summer.
Thanks:
Wade Stewart H&S Rep.
Hello everyone,
Just to remind you all to dress appropriately for our changing weather conditions and be aware of visibility issues in forest fire season. There may be breathing issues from the smoke for some of our clients, be aware of any precautions needed such as inhalers or medication and if necessary N95 mask may be worn.
Our COR audit date is September 25,2023 and we will be holding a safety meeting on August 8 at 9am anyone interested in coming is welcome and we would like to see some more people joining the Health and Safety Committee, the more ideas we have the safer we can make our worksite for ourselves and our clients. The Health & Safety Committee is responsible for recommending how the health and safety problems might be solved, not for carrying out the necessary corrections. No member of the Health & Safety Committee can be held accountable for unsafe or unhealthy situations.
A reminder for all instructors to review paperwork before handing it in, Hazard awareness sheets- name. conditions, measures taken. Driver sheets- email address, pass/retest, license plate, etc….company vehicle and skid truck inspection sheet must be filled out and returned to office.
Question of the month:
What is the Health and Safety Committee responsible for?
Please send your response with your acknowledgement of receipt of the newsletter.
Stay Safe
Wade Stewart/Bob Chomany Co- Chairs H&S Committee
Hello everyone,
Summer is coming fast, and we now must deal with the heat instead of snow and ice, but we still need to be mindful of slips trips and falls.
Make a point of adapting your walking style to the surface. To prevent trips, workers should:
• Keep as few objects as possible on walking and working surfaces.
• Eliminate abrupt changes in walking surface height.
• Where possible, replace stairs with ramps between levels.
Be aware that when a ramp angle increases to as much as 20 degrees, the friction or slip resistance of the surface must increase approximately threefold in order to prevent slips.
Please remember to stay hydrated when working outdoors, wear sunscreen and if needed a hat to protect you from UV rays. Find shade, when possible, to cool down or take a break somewhere with air conditioning.
Looks like we are going to be busy in June as well so remember to let scheduling know if you have any appointments coming up so we can enter it in the system, so we don’t book you for a course on that day.
Thanks- Stay Safe
W. Stewart
Health and Safety CO- Chair
Hello everyone,
Please remember to keep checking your schedules as we are going to be very busy in May.
Still waiting for some nice riding weather. Please remind your students/clients that it is Motorcycle season again and to be aware for bikes on the road (pedal and motorised).
Stay informed via email of track activities and conditions and remember to please pick up and replace your cones when they are knocked over, a vertical cone is a happy cone.
Here is some FYI knowledge, I’m sure we have all been asked this question at some point, so according to Alberta OHS news here is the 411:
Merging
Merging is done when two roadways join into one and the traffic on the main roadway must cooperate to allow enough space for vehicles to enter from the merging lane. Neither the merging vehicle nor the vehicles already on the highway have the right-of-way. Merging is a shared responsibility between the vehicles joining the roadway and the vehicles already on the roadway.
Questions of the month as per our FSI Instructors Manual on our website:
1: Are we Coaches or Evaluators?
2: What system is used to build trust and rapport with the client?
3: What is One Core Defensive Concept?
Stay Safe
Bob Chomany- Co- Chair Health and Safety Committee
Hello everyone,
Welcome to March, the warmer weather is just around the corner, we have survived another winter. I hope you all had a chance to read the Document Tom shared with us about when to stop driving. I had to smile to myself as we have a few old drivers among us, but thankfully we are aware of our responsibilities while on the road alone, and with our clients. Keep in mind, what we do may come as solace for friends or relatives that are faced with this complicated decision, we are respected as professionals and our opinions may carry some weight.
Daylight saving time begins March 12th, we need to be aware of the health and safety effects of this change can have; For Example, several studies have suggested there is an increase in the number of traffic incidents on the Monday after DST comes into effect. This puts workers who drive as part of their jobs at heightened risk. There are also potential effects on health – for example, some hospitals have reported an increase in heart attack related visits in the days after daylight savings begins.
Just some track information for all instructors, it has been brought to our attention that we are not picking up cones after they are knocked down or they are not being set up straight when they are picked up, so we need everybody to please pay attention to this so other instructors are not picking up after you. Please remember that when there is a trailer towing course or if the skid truck area is to wet you can use the north collision avoidance area instead and remember the skid truck has the right of way.
Stay Safe out there.
Bob Chomany- Co- Chair Health and Safety Committee
To drive is to be in total control of that which could cause our demise, so, we teach every day the SAFER way to eliminate any surprise.”
Having said that, just a reminder the rules of the road are changing as of March 1st:
Changes include the requirement that when an emergency, tow truck, or road crew vehicle (including snowplows) is stopped with its flashing lights operating, motorists are required to:
• slow down to 60 km/h or the posted speed limit, whichever is lower, in all lanes travelling in the same direction on multi-lane highways; and
• slow down to 60 km/h or the posted speed limit, whichever is lower, when travelling in either direction on single-lane highways.
As nice as the weather has been lately it is still winter for another few weeks and the weather can change in a heartbeat. If you are going on the road pack for anything, take the extra coat and warm footwear, Snow happens.
Please use some common sense on the track in “busy” situations, pull over and chat on either the east or west end of the track with your four-way flashers on so as not to disrupt the flow of other instructors.
Remember to turn the lock numbers down when locking up the gate. As it warms up the roads get messy, remember we are responsible for cleaning our rental vehicles at the end of the day.
Please submit by email any ideas or suggestions you may have for the newsletter, or just thoughts or questions in general to me bchomany@gmail.com.
Bob Chomany Co- Chair H&S Committee
Keep the shiny side up.
Well, a New Year is underway and if the weather is any indication of what is to come, it is going to be a great year, but, having said that, don’t get cocky, it is still Winter out there and things can change in a heartbeat. Dress for conditions, bring and extra coat and gloves with you if you are going on the road… Be prepared.
I hope you have had a chance to read through what has been sent out already.
Meeting minutes
COR changes
COR action plan
I am excited for some forward movement within our team, I believe this year is going to be one of growth with new instructors coming on board and communication with old Instructors sharing what they know. Part of what is new is the Near Miss forms that Wade put together, these are NOT documents of destruction but items of information, they are a means to share events that could have been serious with efforts to control the situation from ever happening again. Please don’t ever hesitate to speak up to us (the safety committee) or anyone in the office if you have any concerns.
Stay safe… smooth pedals.
Bob Chomany Co-Chair Health and Safety Committee
Hello everyone,
Well, here we are in November already and we have had our regular dump of snow. So, this month we should be thinking about workplace incidents relating to ice sleet and snow
For an example between 2019 and 2021, there were 45 workplace potentially serious incidents related to ice sleet and snow in which a total of 26 workers were injured in these types of incidents.
Slips and trips were the most common accounting for more than 1/3 of them and vehicle incidents accounted for almost a quarter of them.
For those of you that are new to FSI we do have slip on cleats you can wear when you are out of town they are located under the back seat of the Dodge, or if you choose you can get your own at any safety supply store.
I can’t stress enough about driving safely while pulling a trailer is a lot different than pulling one in the summer, we need to be extra careful to prevent trailer swing or jackknifing when you are on icy roads or on slippery curves and remember if the roads are too bad then let the office know and we can arrange rooms for you until road conditions improve. A couple of suggestions would be to plan your trips in daylight hours, check road conditions prior to departing, leave a bit later in the am to allow snowplows and sanders to start sanding and plowing the whole goal here is to get home safely. I have tentatively scheduled a Safety Meeting for November22/2022 at 9am. Hope this works for everyone.
Thanks:
Wade Stewart Health and Safety Co-Chair
Hello everyone,
We are heading into fall weather, so I just wanted to remind everyone to make sure you pack for the weather when traveling out of town. It is better to have more warm clothing than to not have enough. While I am talking about out-of-town travel there are a couple of things we need to implement after the audit.
According to OHS law the vehicle is a workplace when being used to travel therefore we need to fill out a hazard assessment sheet when using the truck to travel. We can check travel and road conditions using the 511 Alberta App. Reduce your risk by planning out your trip and ensuring we are doing proper Pre- Trip Inspections. If for any reason you determine the roads are not safe to travel on you should contact the office and rooms will be supplied for the crew until it is safe to travel again.
Pre-Trip Inspections need to be done more than once for a trip, for example Calgary to Grande Prairie one, Grande Prairie to Edmonton one, Edmonton to Calgary one, please keep this in mind when traveling for courses out of town.
Finally, I would like to commend you all for doing great on the audit interviews, it was mentioned by the auditor at our post audit meeting. We won’t know how we did overall for a month or so, but it was great to hear you all did well.
Stay Safe and Healthy
Thanks:
Wade Stewart H&S Co- Chair
Hello everyone,
We are still dealing with the hot weather so please remember to stay well hydrated while we are out in the sun and take breaks when necessary. We are all still busy with clients as they are trying to catch up with all their training. Thanks for everyone’s help with keeping our clients happy and safe. Keep up the great work.
Just a reminder to everyone that our annual safety meeting will be held on August 30,2022 at 9 am.
Work safe.
Let us all have a safe summer.
Thanks:
Wade Stewart H&S Co- Chair
Hello everyone,
Well, it is officially summer, and we are already dealing with very hot temperatures, so we need to be cautious to avoid getting heat stress.
Early warning signs of heat stress could include irritability, headaches, muscle cramps, dehydration. Some of the things we can do to prevent heat stress, wear suitable clothing for the heat take extra breaks if needed and drink plenty of water and use sunscreen.
The second set of COR questions have been sent to you so please answer and reply by July 20,2022. We have a safety meeting set for July 21/2022, so if you have any topics, you want discussed please let one of the safety committee members know and we can include them in the meeting. It looks like we will be busy through the summer as our clients are trying to catch up on the training missed during COVID.
Let us all have a safe summer.
Wade Stewart H&S Rep.
Hello everyone:
Just for your information July 10 – 16 is safe driver week, all law enforcement agencies will be watching commercial and passenger vehicles for unsafe driving infractions and speeding.
Last newsletter we touched on track safety, and I think I will continue this path as we have had some issues.
1) Remember the speed for collision avoidance should not exceed 60km/hr
2) Skid trucks should not be exceeding 30km/hr as we can still teach at the lower speeds, and it should be done on the far North track area weather permitting
3) When the track is to wet you can stay on the north track. If there are more than a couple of vehicles on the track, we need to be aware and give the skid truck priority. Please do not run a collision avoidance and skid truck on the same track at the same time as this is not safe.
4) Please remember if your student knocks over a cone you need to pick it up, don’t let the student or wait for another instructor pick it up.
5) When parking the skid trucks please leave enough space between you and the cones that are set up to make room for the Porta Potty truck, so it has access to clean it.
6) When backing out with students in the side trucks, make sure they don’t back over or drive in over those cones when parking.
7) Use 4-way flashers when stopped so other instructors know you are not going to move.
I know this seems repetitive, but these things are still happening, and it is not very safe or professional and we need to fix it.
Thank you to everyone who worked extra days to help corporate with the busy schedule.
Let’s all have a safe and happy summer.
Wade Stewart Co- Chair H&S Committee
Hello everyone,
First off, I want to review our track Safety as I have seen or been advised of instructors not doing things as per your previous training. The far North track is for skid trucks and or trailer towing and they have priority when they are using the track. If you need to use the track for ditch entry please stage on the west side and wait for it to be safe to enter or until the track is empty, or you have spoken with the instructor to advise them of your need to use the track and work it out together. If all else fails maybe do another exercise until the track is empty. Another problem I have seen is instructors stopping to talk with their students and not pulling off to the ends and putting on 4-way flashers, that is how the other instructors know it is safe to proceed past you to do their exercises, so we don’t pile up on the track. Finally, if you knock down the cones on the slalom course, please have a look at the stakes in the middle ditch and line up the cone with the stake as they are paced off and they are in the proper place.
Our Health and Safety site is up and running so go on and have a look, if you see anything we need to add, or change let us know. The website address is https://fsisafety.com/corp/
The Health and Safety committee has a meeting set for June 16, so if you have any suggestions or complaints you would like to have brought up please talk to any of our Health and Safety committee members and we can bring them forward at the next meeting.
Thanks for your time.
Stay Safe
May 2022
Hello everyone,
First of all I would like to wish Lana Tucker a belated happy retirement and wish her all the best going forward.
Well spring must be here as we are getting very busy for the next while so I would like to remind everyone to remember to work safe and review the new changes we have made to our Health and Safety Manual. We are making progress on our Health and Safety website and hope to have it completed soon so everything will be easy access for all employees. For all instructors travelling out of town be prepared for the freak spring storms that we seem to be getting lately as road conditions change quickly.
In this e-mail I will be attaching our COR Review 2021 and our COR Action plan for 2022, the changes that we made in our Health and Safety Manual, Health and Safety Committee members and contact information and a pdf copy of the Health and Safety Manual. Please take the time to review these changes and let us know if we missed anything. Going forward we will be asking you questions that you may be asked in the next COR audit while in your interview with the auditor, this will also help us all stay more in tune with our Health and Safety procedures.
If you have any problems opening any of the attachments, please let me know and if you prefer to have a hard copy of the manual let Lynda know when you will be at the office, and she can print one for you. Remember if you have any questions about any Health and Safety concerns, please contact a committee member so we can address them immediately.
Stay Safe
Wade Stewart- Co- Chair Health and Safety Committee
Hello everyone,
Spring is here finally so there are a few things we need to remember.
When you are at the track on a course remember to have a look at both tracks as the south track seems to be wetter than the north track, if that is the case then please just use the north track for your course. Wear proper footwear so you don’t wreck your good shoes and be careful of slips, trips, and falls. This is also the time of year when we need to ensure the lock numbers are facing down after you lock the gate to prevent it from freezing overnight. Please remember to lock the gate anytime you leave if no one else is there even if you are returning with another student.
Improving Safety for roadside workers!
The Traffic Safety Amendment Act Bill 5 will require all motorists traveling in the same direction to slow down to at least 60 km/h when passing a stopped roadside worker vehicle with it’s lights flashing. Both directions if on a two-lane road.
Alberta’s Government will conduct an educational campaign for all drivers prior to the anticipated enforcement date of spring 2023.
Current fines for passing an emergency vehicle on the side of the road can range from $136 to $826, depending on the speed.
From March 2018 and March 2021, there were 128 collisions involving snowplows contracted by Alberta Transportation. The Alberta Motor Association reported that since December 2019, there have been 36 near misses and at least 13 serious roadside incidents involving tow trucks and passing vehicles resulting in injury, hospitalization and even death.
Another change that only applies to commercial vehicles will be the Safety Fitness Certificates are no longer continuous and will now have an expiration date and must be updated every 3 years.
Enjoy the warm weather.
Stay Safe
Wade Stewart- Co- Chair Health and Safety Committee
Hello everyone,
I want to make everyone aware of AHS new rules regarding self isolation if you have tested positive for Covid – 19. As of January 2022, if you test positive and have at least two Covid -19 shots you will need to self isolate for five days or until you show no symptoms and you must wear your mask for another five days after. I can’t stress enough our health and safety policy states that you must be fit for work prior to starting your day if not then call and we will find a replacement for you.
Our health and safety committee is working hard to complete all the adjustments that we needed to make after our last audit and we should see the results and changes after our next meeting in March.
Fire Extinguisher Safety
When using a fire extinguisher remember to use the PASS system.
P– Pull the Pin
A– Aim the nozzle
S– Squeeze the handle
S– Sweep back and forth at the base of the flame
Last but not least we are lifting the mandatory mask rule at the office as of March 1, 2022, we will no longer have to wear masks while in the office.
Also Global Training Center will be dropping their rapid testing and class sizes will return to normal.
Remember though that some of our clients still may require us to wear masks while in vehicle so please just be prepared to comply with their wishes.
Let’s try and enjoy the warmer weather we are having and remember spring is just around the corner.
Stay Safe
Wade Stewart- Co- Chair Health and Safety Committee
Hello everyone,
I would like to welcome our new volunteers to the Health and Safety Committee they are Tom Shindruk, Bob Chomany, Lynda Stewart with Jackie and myself as Co- Chairs. We are getting everything in place for our committee to run smoothly and will hold our first meeting on January 26, 2022 to discuss Terms of Reference and then move on to see what we need to change in our Health and Safety manual to bring it up to date. Once this is done copies of the changes will be sent to all staff. Remember that if you have any safety concerns or ideas to make a safer workplace feel free to inform any of the committee members.
General Information
Auto insurance has changed,
On January 1 the provincial government brought in significant changes that will impact every driver in Alberta. If you are in a collision, your own insurance company will pay for covered damage to your vehicle, no matter who was at fault. There are five things you should know about these changes.
1) New mandatory coverage called DCPD (direct compensation for property damage) this is what pays for damage to your vehicle when another insured driver is at fault.
2) This new coverage is added to your policy automatically.
3) This is not no-fault insurance, establishing fault is still important to determine which coverage will pay for your claim.
4) DCPD doesn’t change how injury claims are handled or your rights to compensation.
5) There is always the possibility it will affect premiums so it’s best to talk with your insurance provider to understand your rates and choose the best coverage for you.
Stay Safe
Wade Stewart- Co- Chair Health and Safety Committee
Hello everyone:
Well, here we are the last newsletter for the year. Just to let you know we finally received our Cor- Audit score which was 80% so we passed which is great, but we will have a lot of work to do next
year to get back where we should be. One of the major problems was we need to have a health and safety committee instead of a health and safety representative due to the number of staff we have.
We have some very cold weather coming in the next week so I just want to remind you to dress in layers stay warm and safe. If you are travelling to visit family make sure you have an emergency kit in your vehicle in case of an emergency.
I would also like to take this time to wish Randy a speedy recovery after his surgery, hope it`s going well.
That`s about all I have right now except to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
See you all in the new year.
Hope you and your families stay safe and healthy.
Thanks,
Wade Stewart
Hello everyone:
Winter weather is here once again and so are the health and safety challenges of working in cold weather conditions. We need to remember that when we are out of town we may need to pack extra clothing for all weather conditions as we never know what we may encounter. We also need to remember to wear proper footwear and be aware of slips, trips and falls while walking in parking lots and setting up tracks. If it is icy remember to take short shuffle like steps and keep your hands outside of your pockets. For the instructors that don’t know there are slip on ice cleats under the back seat of the company truck in case you need them.
When travelling out of town with more than one vehicle stay together so you will have help in case of a breakdown.
Check travel and road conditions prior to leaving and leave with enough time so that you are not rushed.
For your information the skid truck and trailer are now being parked up by Mikes shop, there are two tall cones on the right side as you enter from our gate marking the road, we should be using to access the trailer. If you use his gate you must manually open and close it.
At the office we need to be aware of the parking lot being slippery and the sidewalk, so if you notice something that may be a problem let someone know so we can get it solved before someone gets hurt.
Hope you and your families stay safe and healthy.
Thanks:
Wade Stewart
Hello everyone:
Just a reminder to any staff that come to the office masks are mandatory while in public places including the office. We have been through our COR Audit and are awaiting our final score which I will inform you of when we get the results in November I believe. In the interim Jackie and I have made some changes to the health and safety manual as requested by the new auditor and we will forward them too you as soon as they are completed.
We will then have a zoom meeting to go through and discuss any changes that you may recommend so we are all in agreement.
For your information we had a theft at the Calgary track at the end of September. We will be fixing the fence on the north side of the trailer which will include a gate with a lock so it won’t be as accessible crossing the field. There will also be 3 motion sensor lights on top of the trailer for better lighting. We will also be changing the code on the gate lock to enter the track and we will let you know the new code when we get it changed. The flags have also been placed in the middle of the two tracks to let you know where to reset the cones for the slalom course, so we keep the paces the same. We have also added a battery disconnect switch to the white ford skid truck so please remember to disconnect it when you finish using it. I would also like to remind you if you are travelling out of town and leave your vehicle at the track you do so at your own risk.
Hope you and your families stay safe and healthy.
Thanks:
Wade Stewart H&S Rep.
Hello everyone:
We are now well into the 4th wave regarding COVID- 19 so of course we have had to make more changes to our health and safety policy. One of the major changes is we requested that all our employees receive two vaccinations to keep themselves their families and our clients safe. Management has also made the decision to ensure we are safe by requesting any clients be double vaccinated prior to coming for training.
Please remember when you are coming into the office masks must be on as it is a public space and in vehicles with students. We should still be wiping down skid vehicles before and after use just to be safe.
I will be sending you the changes within the next week.
We are heading into our COR Audit and I just wanted to make you aware that you may be chosen for an interview either by zoom call, phone or in person so please be prepared.
In the past we have done very well in our audits, and I hope the trend will continue.
Stay Safe and Healthy
Thanks:
Wade Stewart H&S Rep.
