On Nov. 29, the Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA) conducted a special training session on the use of Safety Pass, a new health and safety orientation software designed for general contractors, sub-trade organizations and industry leaders that seek to reduce training time and costs.
According to OGCA director of government relations David Frame, workers who have taken the course and passed the requirements will be certified for three years.
He said, “If they go to any other job, they can show that they have the Safety Pass and they don’t need the basic orientation. They simply need the site specific orientation to be able to work on the job.”
Frame spoke at the training event, together with Sean Scott, senior health at PCL Constructors Canada; and Dan Fleming, director of occupational health safety at EllisDon. The training was a part of Construct Canada, Homebuilder & Renovator Expo.
Safety Pass includes 13 training modules, each with a quiz at the end that participants need to perfect before moving on to the next course. One module is expected to take two or three hours for someone with an average knowledge of construction health and safety practices, said Frame.
To date, the software has been used by general contractors of all sizes including PCL, EllisDon, Alberici, AECON, Walsh, Bird, GenPro, Stuart Olson, Gilliam Group and W.S. Morgan.
OGCA is working to expand use of the software through its members, and the organization aims to reach out to sub-trades as well. It is still under development and will be rolled out by February 2018.
“We believe that it’s going to become an industry standard over the next year or two,” Frame said.