No matter the work, it can be dangerous. April 28, the National Day of Mourning, offered a chance to reflect and be proactive.
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“Our own teams from the city, be it fire, protective services, public works and the team in operations that deliver each and every day, because the work they do is dangerous,” said Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers.
“Someone cutting grass, people wouldn’t think of that, but you can be killed by something that comes off the lawnmower.”
The message of the day is clear and emphasized by city officials.
“The key message is to not only commemorate and remember those who have lost their lives, but reconnect and get proactive so that we can do more to prevent tragedies from taking place,” said John Stevens, safety officer with the City of Lloydminster.
“Today we’re recognizing the National Day of Mourning, which is an event to commemorate and remember those who have lost their lives to workplace fatalities or tragic incidents over the years.”
The City of Lloydminster has a safety team to ensure workers remain safe while doing the various jobs for the municipality.
April 28 also marks an important day for the upcoming summer work at the city.
“Today we have the bulk of our summer seasonal (workers) starting as well,” said Stevens.
The new workers receive training to prepare them for the upcoming work.
“Our safety team is at the Operations Centre doing new hire training. WHMIS training, orientation with our summer seasonals and setting them up for success,” he said.
“Safety is built into the work that we do. All our teams have hazard assessments, job producers, formalized hazard assessments as well that play a part of their daily work.”
Aalbers says it’s important to be prepared before doing any work that could offer risk.
“Today is a day to reflect, if you are not sure about the job you’ve been asked to do, ask questions, stop the work, make sure you perform it safely before proceeding,” he said.
“If you’ve never done the job before and you don’t quite know what to do, it’s important to stop and ask someone, your senior, your manager, your boss, your supervisor for directions and assistance to ensure you have the proper training to complete the task.”
The City of Lloydminster honoured the National Day of Mourning by hosting an event in front of city hall. Flags were also lowered to half-mast for the day.
City of Lloydminster safety officer John Stevens.
City of Lloydminster safety officer John Stevens.
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