To help reduce this number, the New Brunswick Construction Safety Association (NBCSA) has developed and delivers industry-specific training programs to improve health and safety at our province’s jobsites.

“We want to eliminate preventable accidents through education and training,” said Roy Silliker, NBCSA’s general manager. “We take safety very seriously because our work can be high risk.”

This high risk includes working from heights, in confined spaces, and in trenches, sometimes in extreme hot and cold temperatures. It includes handling hazardous materials and using tools that can cause injury such as nail guns, drills, and saws, and operating heavy equipment such as cranes. It is so high risk that, on average, one construction worker dies every working day in Canada from a workplace injury.

“Construction work requires very particular skills and therefore must be complemented with specialized safety training,” Silliker said. This specialized training includes courses such as Fall Protection, Trenching Awareness, Lockout and Accident/Incident Investigation.

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Since it first began offering safety courses in 2001, NBCSA has issued more than 46,000 training certificates to more than 15,000 construction workers. All courses focus on real-life hazards, effective prevention plans and feature a hands-on approach to learning. "These courses are designed to provide workers with a greater understanding of the dangers and also the practical skills to prevent tragedies on the job."

Silliker said it is necessary that the construction industry not only develop but also fund its own construction safety training. Therefore, while the WHSCC collects funds on behalf of NBCSA, the association is financed solely through its members. All companies that pay compensation to the WHSCC under a construction code are charged a levy, and become automatic members of NBCSA.

This levy funds a portion of the NBCSA’s overhead and supplements the cost of safety courses, enabling the NBCSA to offer courses to its membership at, or near, cost. On average, NBCSA courses cost $35 a day compared to up to $150 a day from other providers, Silliker said. By offering accessible training, Silliker said he hopes even more construction workers in New Brunswick will sign up to make safety a priority.

The NBCSA also provides an audited safety program, called the Certificate of Recognition Program (COR) to any construction company that wants to participate. “The COR program, along with a Letter of Good Standing is mandatory by many buyers of construction, such as the Department of Transport, the City of Dieppe, and the City of Moncton,” Silliker said. “In fact, the Department of Supply and Services has been requesting this since 2004,” he said.