September 20, 2024 – While Ontario’s Electrical Safety Authority’s annual meeting can be appreciated for its fiscal year updates and annual report from the public safety officer, let’s be honest … the excitement revolves around seeing people go up on stage to collect their electrical safety award hardware! Congratulations to the following:

WORKER SAFETY

PUC Services Inc. was recognized for its commitment to educating distracted drivers about the importance of staying cautious near road work zones to ensure the safety of workers. PUC’s Road Safety Video Campaign is a series of personalized videos that share stories and messages from road workers to highlight real dangers, underscoring the need for driver attentiveness. The campaign features messages from the City of Sault Ste. Marie, the local construction association, and first responders.

Sarah McLeod, vice-president, People, Culture & Brand, accepts the award on behalf of PUC Services Inc.

POWERLINE SAFETY

Bluewater Power, Hydro One, and London Hydro were collectively recognized for successfully transporting enormous beer tanks—each over 33 metres long and 6.62 metres wide—from Sarnia Harbour to the Labatt Brewery in London. This project employed best practices to safely hoist, cut and reconnect powerlines, minimizing power disruptions along the route, and keeping the public in affected areas well-informed.

(This project was also recognized with a Public Relations Excellence Award from Electricity Distributors Association earlier this year.)

Allan Van Damme, vice-president, Engineering & Construction, accepts the award on behalf of London Hydro.

Eden Ratcliffe, superintendent, Distribution Lines, accepts the award on behalf of Hydro One.

“Safety and efficiency are two sides of the same coin,” said Ratcliffe.

CONSUMER & HOME SAFETY

Elexicon Energy was recognized for its contributions to the Children’s Safety Village of Durham Region and in Belleville. Elexicon donates electrical equipment, conducts informative sessions, and provides financial support to both villages. Through this initiative, the utility helps children explore electrical equipment in a safe environment, and learn about powerline and home electrical safety.

Jeff Lavelle, field supervisor, Health and Safety, accepts the award on behalf of Elexicon Energy.

LICENSED ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR RECOGNITION

Mellon Inc. was recognized for its commitment to employee safety and well-being. In addition to continuous safety training and educational initiatives, it promotes a strong safety culture through a robust incident reporting system, well-defined safety policies, strong mentorship, and field-based coaching. Mellon has also recently started promoting psychological safety as a foundational aspect of work.

(Mellon Inc. was recognized with an R. Hugh Carroll Safety Award from Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario back in June.)

Pat Robb, staff engineer, accepts the award on behalf of Mellon Inc.

Public Safety Officer SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

Ottawa Community Housing was recognized for its commitment to improving workplace safety and creating electrically safe spaces for over 32,000 tenants. In 2023, it achieved zero open defects on two separate occasions, reduced the average defect correction time from 240.9 days to 12.4 days, and lowered the monthly defect count from 10,000 to fewer than 100. The organization achieved this by incorporating an ESA inspection program through the Continuous Safety Services program into its annual home assessments.

Robert Sokolowski, manager, Preventative Maintenance and Programs, accepts the award on behalf of Ottawa Community Housing.

Established in 2010, ESA’s annual safety awards recognize “exemplary electrical safety leadership” in the Province of Ontario.

Meantime, some of ESA’s fiscal year highlights include:

• 717,223 interactions through the Customer Service Centre
• 445,614 wiring notifications (38% of which occurred online)
• 418,337 site visits
• 28,127 remote inspections
• 757 new electrical contractor licences
• 875 new master electrician licences

Patience Cathcart, ESA’s public safety officer, presented the 2023 Ontario Electrical Safety Report (the 23rd edition!).

This annual report hinges upon ESA’s collaboration with its safety partners to provide a comprehensive perspective of electrical fatalities, injuries, and incidents in Ontario.

Those partners include: Office of the Chief Coroner; Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development; Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management; Canadian Institute of Health Information; Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

As an administrative authority acting on behalf of the Government of Ontario, ESA is responsible for administering specific regulations related to the Ontario Electrical Safety Code, the licensing of electrical contractors and master electricians, electricity distribution system safety, and electrical product safety.

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