HARBRIDGE + CROSS
2021 Health and Safety Leadership Award
(WSIB) Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest health and safety challenge faced by Harbridge + Cross in its 60-year history. The impact of the pandemic has profound effects on our staff’s health and safety, existing operations and business continuity.
At the same time, the pandemic created an opportunity for our team to rally together, support one-another and overcome these and many other challenges.
On May 8, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) introduced its 2021 Leadership Awards program to recognize small businesses with fewer than 50 employees for their outstanding achievements in promoting their health and safety initiatives.
The program examines 5 areas including: Safety culture and leadership, inspections, hazard identification and control, quality of return-to-work program and employee safety engagement survey results.
This year, our JHSC recommended Harbridge + Cross for this year’s Leadership Award based on our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the last 18-months our team, including Sr. Management, the Safety Department and JHSC, has worked diligently in responding to the COVID-19 threat by developing workplace policy, contact tracing requirements, enhanced hygiene measures, updated PPE and countless training seminars. Although the pandemic is not over, Harbridge + Cross has positioned itself well to respond to any new curveballs COVID-19 may throw our way.
“We are very excited to shine a light on small businesses and understand the unique challenges and commitments required to implement a health and safety management system. We all share a common goal to support occupational health and safety improvements.”
-Elizabeth Witmer, Chair of the WSIB –
The top 3 applicants will win a cash price that can be reinvested in their health and safety program. 1st prize $5,000, 2nd prize $3,000 and 3rd prize $2,000. Recipients will be announced and receive special recognition at the September WSIB Annual General Meeting in Toronto.
A special thank you goes out to Nikki Dorkin, Ashik Swamy and the rest of the JHSC for their tireless efforts in organizing our Leadership application which includes; providing video interviews, draft documents and providing recommendations to improve our Health and Safety Program.
A safe and healthy workplace not only protects workers from injury and illness, it can also promote a sense of belonging, productivity and raise employee morale. At Harbridge + Cross we pride ourselves as a community that promotes inclusion, teamwork and fosters leadership in the field of health and safety.
There are no small roles at Harbridge + Cross, everyone from our field staff members, to office support team and supervisors all share a collective role in promoting health and safety within our organization.