OUR HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Super Sucker Hydrovac Service Inc. isn’t simply a work environment, it’s an effective team environment, and as such creates a level of importance on the health and safety of its workers that is integral to the entire operation. In an effort to develop a culture of watching out for employees, clients and the public, senior management recognized that the company’s internal responsibility system needed to go above and beyond a few safety certifications – so it was determined that the Certificate of Recognition (COR®) should be the standard to reach.

For Super Sucker Hydrovac Service Inc. to achieve COR® Certification, the company had to go through a rigorous audit of their policies and procedures around safety. The audit process identified areas where the organization was doing well, and areas that could be improved to achieve the certification. The process also provided the education requirements of management, supervisors and workers to achieve and maintain. With COR® Certification now complete, Super Sucker Hydrovac Service Inc. not only has the tools to manage its own workplace safety program, it also shows clients and the industry an outstanding commitment to health and safety. COR® is recognized throughout Canada as a program that demonstrates to others the priority an organization places on a quality health and safety management system, as it is something that needs to be maintained daily in order to retain it year over year.

COR® Certification also has benefits beyond worker safety. While the health and safety of workers is most important, COR® Certification also has a positive effect on the bottom line as a safe workplace has little to no downtime, incident investigations, or time lost due to injured workers. All of these factors equate to lower monetary costs on projects, which translates into savings that are realized not only by the organization but to its clients as well.

Of Note:

  • Achieved certification in March of 2017
  • First Vacuum Excavation company to achieve COR in Ontario
  • Achieved certification on first attempt with a score of 97%
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CERTIFICATION

We employ a dedicated on-site safety auditor to continually patrol our active excavation jobs. It’s a truly effective and measurable way to make sure procedures and equipment are always as safe as possible. We are also COR certified.

We continually improve our environmental, health and safety performance by:

  • providing regular, thorough and company-wide training
  • clearly communicating objectives and targets
  • regularly monitoring and reviewing our policies
  • insisting on safety in the workplace and on the worksite
  • establishing industry-leading standards

By demanding a commitment at every level – management, operators, crews and administration – our hydro excavation company fosters a culture of safety. It is paramount to how we operate. In fact, we employ a dedicated on-site Loss Prevention Coordinator to continually patrol our active excavation jobs. It’s a truly effective and measurable way to make sure procedures and equipment are always as safe as possible.

TRAINING

Super Sucker Hydrovac Service Inc. introduces its workers to provincial health and safety legislation in Ontario including the responsibilities of employers, supervisors, and workers. Our staff will learn their health and safety responsibilities under the provincial legislation and how to relate them to their specific workplace, and we cover the following content:

  • The Occupational Health and Safety Act
  • To whom the OHSA applies
  • The internal responsibility system
  • Duties of constructors, employers, supervisors, workers, and suppliers
  • Training for committees and safety representatives
  • Toxic substances—how they are controlled
  • Refusal to work—who can refuse and procedures
  • Reprisals, notices, and enforcement
  • Offences and penalties
In 2015, changes to the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) in Canada meant new requirements for classifying hazardous products, labelling hazardous products, and formatting Safety Data Sheets (formerly Material Safety Data Sheets).

Super Sucker Hydrovac Service Inc. provides workers, supervisors, and other employees with a basic understanding of hazard classes and categories, Safety Data Sheets (SDS), and labels as they relate to the following:

  • The 1988 Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS 1988)
  • The 2015 Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS 2015)
  • How WHMIS can be used to protect the health and safety of workers.
Super Sucker Hydrovac Service Inc. provides in-class learning with a practical training component. Upon completion, employees will be knowledgeable about confined space requirements under the Ontario Health and Safety Act (OHSA), and will be able to recognize confined spaces, describe the major hazards, identify controls, and perform a confined space rescue. Other topics they will learn include:

  • Potential hazards of confined spaces
  • How to recognize a confined space as defined by the Occupational Health and Safety Act
  • Employer programs for confined space entry
  • Hazards and their assessment
  • Plans for controlling hazards of confined space activity
  • Training and entry permits
  • Confined space rescue
The Construction Projects regulation (213/91) requires a traffic protection plan in place to ensure that our workers are protected. In addition, a specific traffic control plan designed to protect both workers and road users will be made available. Super Sucker Hydrovac Service Inc. has an effective traffic control plan in place that assists those responsible for creating, implementing, and/or overseeing traffic control in temporary work areas. Our workers are taught using typical layout case studies, the Ontario Traffic Manual (OTM) Book 7, and the Construction Projects regulation, and focus is placed on the following topics:

  • Purpose of traffic control
  • Temporary work zone design
  • Traffic control devices
  • Implementing temporary traffic control

Super Sucker Hydrovac Service Inc. is committed to providing a barrier-free environment for all of our clients/customers, employees, volunteers, job applicants, suppliers, and any visitors who may enter our premises, or use our services. As an organization, we respect and uphold the requirements set forth under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA, 2005) and its associated standards and regulations, and we are committed to incorporating AODA legislative requirements and best practices into all of our policies and processes.

For those whose job functions require, Super Sucker Hydrovac Service Inc. provides the latest first aid and CPR guidelines from the Canadian Red Cross which meets federal and provincial regulations for Standard First Aid and CPR. This training is recognized by the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) and meets Ontario Health & Safety (OHS) regulations for Basic First Aid.

Content includes:

  • Preparing to Respond
  • The EMS System
  • Check, Call, Care
  • Airway Emergencies
  • Breathing & Circulation Emergencies
  • First Aid for Respiratory & Cardiac Arrest
  • Head & Spine Injuries
  • Bone, Muscle & Joint Injuries
  • Wound Care
  • Sudden Medical Emergencies
  • Poisons
  • Environmental Emergencies
Super Sucker Hydrovac Service Inc. gives its operators a basic understanding of electrical hazards related to Hydrovac and Dryvac use and what is required to assess and control these hazards. Training covers the following content:

  • Introduction to electrical safety
  • Basic electrical theory
  • Energy flow and barriers
  • Electricity and the body
  • Induction
  • Step and touch potential
  • Safe limits of approach
  • Personal protective equipment
  • Job planning

Super Sucker Hydrovac Inc. provides general information on recognizing various types of hazardous energy (such as electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic) in the workplace and learning how to control those hazards through the use of proper equipment and lockout and tagging procedures.

  • Energy forms and related equipment
  • Regulations and responsibilities
  • Hazards and control methods
  • Written procedures
  • Communication
  • Safe re-start

Super Sucker Hydrovac Inc. provides a Working at Heights (WAH) program that meets Ontario’s Working at Heights Training Standard and is Chief Prevention Officer Approved. This course provides workers with the basic fall prevention information they require to work safely in areas where they may be exposed to fall hazards. Participants receive the most up-to-date information with hands-on instruction from industry experts and trained adult educators who are experienced with:

  • Common fall hazards
  • Fall protection and types of equipment
  • Working with ladders, scaffolds, elevating work platforms, and suspended access equipment
  • Related laws and regulations

This program teaches participants their legal responsibilities for safe handling, storing, and transporting of the nine classes of dangerous goods. Participants are provided with an overview of the Dangerous Goods Act and regulation 347. Training content includes:

  • The nine classifications of dangerous goods
  • Documentation requirements
  • Safety marks—labels/placards
  • Safety requirements for TDG
  • Training requirements

Super Sucker Hydrovac Service Inc. trains designated workers on the legislated fire safety responsibilities and describes safe work practices related to fire prevention. It also provides practical information about emergency response in situations involving fire and covers the following:

  • Explain how the issue of fire safety is addressed by occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation in Canada and identify the fire safety responsibilities of employers and those of workers
  • Describe safe work practices that can reduce the risk of fire
  • Know what to do in the event of a fire
  • Recognize fire-related situations in which the use of a fire extinguisher is appropriate and situations in which it is best to evacuate rather than try to put out the fire
  • Identify the types of extinguishers, and the classes of fire that can be put out using each type of extinguisher
  • Know how to use a fire extinguisher
  • Understand the maintenance and servicing requirements related to fire extinguishers

Safe Driving

Defensive driving techniques are presented with the aid of various imagery and presentation material. It allows participants to discuss common driving problems that are encountered by drivers each day and covers topics such as:

  • The Law (Legal Element) Rules and regulations that apply to commercial motor-vehicle
  • The Driver (Human Element) The human elements that affect our ability to drive safely including attitude, mental/emotional state, complacency, physical well-being, nutrition, sleep, vision, and knowledge
  • The Vehicle (Mechanical Element) Vehicle inspection, basic vehicle control, and factors that affect steering, stopping, and handling
  • The Environment Inside the vehicle, road surface conditions, traffic conditions, and weather conditions Module 5—Driving Defensively Collision prevention; use of mirrors, signs, and signals; passing; intersections; turning procedures; expressway driving; backing procedures

You demand it and employees depend on it. It’s always a top priority.

You deal with the risks associated with dangerous conditions and utility damage every day.

We understand the requirements specific to your industry – whether hydro, gas, telecommunications, construction, or another. Super Sucker Hydro Vac Service Inc. is serious about safety.

DOCUMENTATION

  • Certificate of Insurance
  • WSIB Clearance Certificate
  • WHMIS Certificate(s)
  • Employee Training Records
  • Super Sucker Hydrovac Service Inc. Corporate Policies
  • Corporate Health + Safety Statement
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