The ECAO is pleased to announce the R. Hugh Carroll Safety Awards will now be a featured event at our 2024 Annual General Meeting at Woodbine Racetrack. This exciting change further raises the profile of the R. Hugh Carroll Safety Awards, demonstrating the ECAO’s commitment to promoting and fostering a positive, safety first culture amongst its membership, and the electrical industry.

There are changes to the 2024 R. Hugh Carroll application we wish to communicate, allowing applicants to submit exemplary applications worthy of the prominence of recognition at the ECAO’s Annual General Meeting at Woodbine Racetrack.  

For 2024, the R. Hugh Carroll Safety Award categories have been restructured according to company size and only size (see below), elevating the R. Hugh Carroll Safety Awards by recognizing and promoting the absolute best of the best, those who put safety first! Also, for 2024 we are including guidelines for completing the application and a grading rubric that will be used to evaluate submissions by the panel. 

Partnerships are the foundation upon which ECAO operates, and the valued partners involved in our CERTI-FIRE fire safety certification program are no exception.

ECAO congratulates NORCAT, a Sudbury-based technology and innovation center, on receiving the international award of VR Education and Training Solution of the Year for its work on ECAO’s CERTI-FIRE program. This award reflects excellence in the development of innovative and practical uses of VR in education and training – and it’s well-earned.

The NORCAT VR technology enables CERTI-FIRE program users to participate in authentic scenarios, replicating lab exercises and practical tests within a virtual reality setting. CERTI-FIRE VR has transformed conventional professional fire alarm system training and certification procedures throughout Ontario, introducing immersive experiences that engage learners in a realistic and safe environment. With NORCAT’s technological wizardry, ECAO’s CERTI-FIRE program is second to none in Ontario’s fire alarm certification arena.

This recognition is shared with all those who were dedicated to the development and implementation of the CERTI-FIRE program including IBEW members Michael Arruda, Bill Dodge, George Kardaras, Mark Miller, Luis Pires, Tim Spencer and Mark Steane. Further, ECAO thanks the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development for their financial support through the Skills Development Fund for the development and administration of the CERTI-FIRE program.

Congrats to NORCAT, and to everyone involved in this award-winning work!

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Developed (MLITSD) has published a new Technical Guideline on Requirements for Cranes at Construction Projects on Ontario.ca. This new guideline is intended to assist employers, constructors, owners, and suppliers of cranes used at construction projects to comply with pre-existing regulatory requirements and the new regulatory requirements referenced in the email below that came into effect on January 1, 2024, or that come into effect on January 1, 2025. These regulatory requirements are found under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) in Ontario Regulation 213/91 (Construction Projects), and a few are found in Ontario Regulation 420/21 (Notices and Reports Under Sections 51 to 53.1 of the Act - Fatalities, Critical Injuries, Occupational Illnesses and Other Incidents).

Changes to Requirements Related to Cranes Used at Construction Projects

Ontario is updating its regulations to improve crane safety on construction sites to keep workers and the public safe and avoid work stoppages.

Amendments to various crane-related provisions of O. Reg. 213/91 (Construction Projects) under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) include:

• Clarifying or adding new design, installation, maintenance, inspection, and record-keeping requirements.
• Requiring more comprehensive inspections of tower cranes, including referencing the Professional Engineers of Ontario's practice standard for tower crane review, and clarifying and expanding the role and responsibilities of professional engineers in the design, erection, and inspection of tower cranes.
• Introducing new, and updating existing, references to relevant national and international standards relating to the design and operation of tower cranes.
• Addressing advances in technology, including adding and amending requirements that take into account specific operational needs for self-erecting tower cranes.
• Clarifying requirements for cables, slings and rigging that apply to all cranes and cover hoisting operations by other equipment.

Amendments to O. Reg. 420/21 (Notices and Reports Under Sections 51 to 53.1 of the Act - Fatalities, Critical Injuries, Occupational Illnesses and Other Incidents) under the OHSA have also been approved. The amendments will add a new requirement for the ministry to be notified of a failure to control a crane or a load, including any rigging failure, and for an engineer’s report on the cause of the incident. 

Most amendments will come into force on January 1, 2024. Other requirements, including those that may require equipment upgrades, will come into force on January 1, 2025, to provide stakeholders with additional time to comply with the changes.

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) held public consultations on proposed amendments relating to tower cranes and other cranes. These changes are driven by industry groups representing both management and labour, while ensuring red tape is kept to a minimum without compromising worker safety.

For more information on the amendments, please see the amending regulations O. Reg. 241/23 and O. Reg. 242/23. The amendments have been consolidated into the e-Laws version of O. Reg. 213/91 and O. Reg. 420/21.

If you need help understanding your responsibilities under the OHSA, you can visit ontario.ca/page/occupational-health-and-safety-act-ohsa, or call the Health and Safety Contact Centre at 1-877-202-0008.

Thursday, March 7 from 7:30 AM – 2:00 PM

The International Centre, Conference Centre, 6900 Airport Road

$75 per person

The Ontario Construction Secretariat invites you to attend our 24th Annual State of the Industry & Outlook Conference on March 7, 2024, at The International Centre in Mississauga.

This informative and well-attended half-day conference is where Ontario's ICI construction industry gathers to discuss economic indicators and gain insight into where the construction industry is headed in the year to come.

Joining us once again will be Director and Senior Economist at BMO, Robert Kavcic, who will provide those in attendance with his views on current economic conditions as well as a forecast for the rest of 2024. OCS Director of Research, Katherine Jacobs, will also present the findings from the annual Contractor Survey, which serves to gauge contractor perspectives about the construction market for the coming year.

Click below to explore our registration website and reserve your spot!

Reserve Your Spot Now

As we head into 2024, now is a great time to review and update your emergency contact list. Knowing who to contact in the event of a disaster or emergency can help you better manage stressful situations and get your business back up and running as soon as possible.

That’s why having an up-to-date emergency contact list should be a part of your business continuity and risk management plan. To help you get started, Federated Insurance has created a guide on what to include and a template you can download, print, and fill for your own records.

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To learn more about Federated, visit www.federated.ca or if you’re a Federated customer, you can contact your Commercial Insurance Specialist with any questions.

NECA’s Recognition of Safety Achievement Program is an elite safety recognition focused on recognizing thriving companies that excel in multiple areas of their safety and health programs. Member companies that consistently have OSHA recordable injury and fatality rates at levels lower than the industry standard, and implement internal company safety practices above and beyond basic compliance will receive the recognition.

The Zero-Injury recognizes those member-companies that have worked a full calendar year without recordable incidents.

This year, the announcement of the NECA Safety Ambassadors Medal will be April 15, 2024. The member company that receives the NECA Safety Ambassadors Medal will get two free registrations to the NECA Safety Professionals Conference, one for senior management and one for the company safety professional to accept the medal during the NECA Recognition of Safety Achievement announcements at the NSPC.

Apply Today

NECA, in collaboration with the MCAA and SMACNA, is excited to showcase cutting-edge technology and innovations in all three industries. Join us for engaging educational sessions, interactive roundtable discussions, a bustling trade show floor, and insightful contractor tours.

More Information

Register today for an unparalleled experience at the forefront of technology and innovation!

Register Now

Throughout 2023, ELECTRI kept its focus on research and education. The goal of ELECTRI’s research is to provide information about future opportunities and deliver research results and recommendations you can operationalize in your business to improve your workflows and your bottom line. We continue to refine the presentation of the research and look forward to providing meaningful research in 2024.

We made significant progress on the Project Management Apprenticeship and are excited to see this apprenticeship approved at various state levels. While the Project Management Apprenticeship rolls out, we will be seeking approval for additional office apprenticeship programs in 2024.

The Electrification of Everything is changing the landscape of the EC industry. We are thrilled about ELECTRI’s coaching program and the opportunity to take advantage of hard-earned wisdom in our industry. As this program moves ahead, please let the ELECTRI team know if you have time to help other companies or if you are looking for guidance on a new opportunity or want to expand your knowledge.

We will continue to create opportunities for workforce recruitment through ELECTRI’s Electrical Contractor Innovation Challenge and our Industry Connect events. Our NECA Student Chapters will have more opportunities in 2024 to be exposed to the electrical construction industry. 

We will continue to provide information for you to engage with other Council members to improve the use of your tech stack. Please let the ELECTRI staff know if there are any topics you would like to discuss during the Contech & Coffee and IT & Coffee webinars.

I learn from the Council at every meeting, and it is an honor to be a part of ELECTRI. As we continue to push ELECTRI and our industry forward, please let either myself or the ELECTRI team know what we can do to help you seize opportunities and meet the demands of the EC industry in 2024.

Kellie Holland

Chair of the ELECTRI Council

President

Empire Electric Inc.

EXTRAORDINARY – For ELECTRI International, 2023 has been an extraordinary year, thanks to your involvement, your expertise, and your investment in our agenda. The ELECTRI team has put together our year-end report. The report is attached to the email for your convenience. You may find some reports and videos you want to access again and share with your own team, plus some new ideas worth considering for 2024. We look forward to being with many of you for our January 2024 Council meeting.

Read Here