Safe to say this local video campaign was a winner

A year-long video safety campaign featuring the personal stories of employees at six local companies has won a prestigious award.

The campaign, which launched last November, has taken home the 2024 Ontario Electrical Safety Award in the Worker Safety category from the Electrical Safety Authority.

In it, workers with PUC Services Inc., the City of Sault Ste. Marie, the Sault Ste. Marie Construction Association, the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, Fire Services, and Paramedic Services shared real-life incidents they’ve faced on the job.

In one video, a worker in PUC’s water distribution department said safety is the top priority on the job, but that’s not always the case for the public.

“We have caught drivers cutting through job sites and ignoring road closed signs,” the employee said. “We even had a public member come within inches of running us over because they thought they could drive around a road closed sign.”

“Please don’t be the reason my colleagues and I don’t go home to our families, because you didn’t want to spend an extra minute on your commute."

PUC’s manager of safety added employees are having too many close calls.

“Worker safety is not negotiable. We are doing everything we can to prevent accidents, but it’s also about changing how the public interacts with our crews,” said Janis Gartshore in a news release. 

“Every sign, every cone, every safety protocol we put in place is there to protect lives. We need drivers to be mindful and share the responsibility of keeping our roads safe.”

Click here to watch all the video messages.