Gallagher on prevention, training

An interview with CSAO's new President

Michael Gallagher is the Business Manager of
the International Union of Operating Engineers,
Local 793. His term as CSAO President begins April 3.

 

Construction Safety: What concerns you most about health and safety in Ontario construction?

Gallagher: The fatalities and injuries. Last year was horrendous. And those 30 deaths were just the brutal types of accidents that come to our attention. They don’t tell the whole story. There were deaths due to occupational disease as well. In reality, the deaths from disease should receive as much attention as the deaths from accidents.

CS: What are your priorities as CSAO President? Gallagher: Well, we want to prevent deaths, injury, and illness from happening in the first place. And when you talk about prevention, you have to talk about training. One thing that we Operating Engineers have learned--and it’s now recognized worldwide--is that compulsory certification and mandatory training reduce lost-time injuries and fatalities. Right now, certification is compulsory for only six trades, but it should be expanded to include a lot of others according to the risks associated with those trades. This would mean expanding the apprenticeship programs and making them mandatory.

CS: What’s the role of government in health and safety?

Gallagher: The focus of the previous Ontario government was deregulation. The Premier said that his government would untangle the regulations. Well, untangling them meant unraveling the protection those regulations afforded to people. We rely on government to protect us--the food we eat, the water we drink--people in Walkerton found that out. In construction it’s no different. We need effective regulations in place and enough inspectors to ensure that jobsites are safe.

Six or seven years ago, the construction industry reviewed a number of regulations. For some strange reason, while the industry completed its work and delivered it to the Ministry of Labour’s lawyers, nothing has happened. You can’t get any information. The work has been sitting there for three years. So we feel that all of the hard work from management and labour was a wasted investment. Well, that’s irresponsible government. It’s time for us to get that process moving again. Updating the regulations is long overdue.

CS: Are you hopeful?

Gallagher: I am hopeful. The new Minister of Labour Chris Bentley indicated that he has a real concern for health and safety. I think that the Action Group that he set up is very positive. Hiring the new inspectors was a good decision.

We know about the deficit, but there are things that can be done immediately that don’t affect the government’s bottom line in any way whatsoever.

CS: Such as?

Gallagher: Fighting the underground economy. It’s disgraceful. As a taxpaying citizen, it annoys me that companies out there aren’t paying their fair share. And there’s a connection with health and safety. All workers on construction sites need to be registered. That will get the companies and workers into the prevention-system loop.

We have to think creatively about prevention. And as my father, Gerry Gallagher, said, “When it comes to saving human life, we’re in a hurry.”

CS: That’s a good catch phrase.

Gallagher: Well it inspires me, because we can save lives. As a boy I remember my father being horrified by the Hogg’s Hollow cave-in during the construction of Toronto’s subway. It motivated him to embark on a health and safety campaign. It led to regulatory changes that improved conditions for workers.

In spite of the passage of time, and although there have been improvements, we still have a significant problem with fatalities. One day I’d like to say, “There are no fatalities in construction.” Some would claim that this is just impossible. But I don’t agree. I believe it is an achieveable goal if labour and management work together and if government listens and acts.