Benson Steel Unites Construction Industry at Annual Safety Event

“We have a responsibility to be each other’s keeper.” – Stephen K. Benson, Benson Steel

Benson Steel held its third annual Safety Symposium on June 14 in Bolton. Stephen K. Benson hosted the event, which was open to all partners within the construction industry. General Contractors, sub-contractors, competitive fabricators, clients, engineers and architects were all invited and welcome to participate.

“If you see something, say something.” – Clive Thurston, OGCA

During the Symposium, OGCA President Clive Thurston shared a personal story about an on-the-job injury. In a powerful demonstration, he asked the audience members to raise their hands if they had been injured in a workplace accident and to keep them up if they were still feeling the effects of the injury. Many hands went and stayed up.

Craig Lesurf, Chair of the League of Champions Steering Committee & OGCA Safety Committee, talked about situational awareness. He encouraged the audience to be observant, and to identify threats and dangerous situations.

Situational Awareness = Observe + Orient + Decide + Act

The other speakers included Jeff Mitchell, a lawyer from BLG; Jack Lehman, President of Safecom Workplace Systems Ltd.; and Ian Roy, the District HSE Supervisor from League member PCL Constructors, Inc. Themes ranged from fall clearance and lanyard choices to OHSA liability and due diligence. All in all, the Symposium was an excellent event that emphasized striving towards an incident-free safety culture.