Alberta’s ski hill industry has shown strong improvement in health and safety management, according to a recent inspection campaign.
Occupational Health and Safety officers targeted the 28 employers who operate Alberta ski hills in an inspection campaign that ran from the pre-season in October, through the peak season at the end of January.
A total of 40 inspections were carried out, focusing on industry hazards, worker training, supervision and equipment maintenance.
The results of the inspection show a significant drop in the number of infractions, down 59 per cent from a similar inspection campaign in the 2012-13 ski season.
One of the ways OHS worked with industry after the 2013 season was to host a new educational seminar for the Canada West Ski Areas Association, which showed multiple employers the economic and social benefits of investing in health and safety, said the provincial government.
“Albertans love to work and play at our amazing ski resorts and it’s encouraging to see operators make this kind of progress," said Minister of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour Thomas Lukaszuk. "Ski hill operators have set the bar high when it comes to health and safety, and employers in other high risk industries should take notice. We’re coming to visit them next.”
The next targeted inspection campaign for 2014 will focus on residential construction, framing and roofing.
Occupational Health and Safety officers targeted the 28 employers who operate Alberta ski hills in an inspection campaign that ran from the pre-season in October, through the peak season at the end of January.
A total of 40 inspections were carried out, focusing on industry hazards, worker training, supervision and equipment maintenance.
The results of the inspection show a significant drop in the number of infractions, down 59 per cent from a similar inspection campaign in the 2012-13 ski season.
One of the ways OHS worked with industry after the 2013 season was to host a new educational seminar for the Canada West Ski Areas Association, which showed multiple employers the economic and social benefits of investing in health and safety, said the provincial government.
“Albertans love to work and play at our amazing ski resorts and it’s encouraging to see operators make this kind of progress," said Minister of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour Thomas Lukaszuk. "Ski hill operators have set the bar high when it comes to health and safety, and employers in other high risk industries should take notice. We’re coming to visit them next.”
The next targeted inspection campaign for 2014 will focus on residential construction, framing and roofing.
