by SHCA SHCA

Aqua Detail Inc. – Regina

Aqua Detail Inc.

Aqua Detail Inc. specializes in providing top-tier automotive detailing services, including options tailored for fleet vehicles. Maintaining a fleet’s appearance is crucial not only for projecting a professional image, but also for extending the life of each vehicle. 

Aqua Detail Inc. can assist with this by offering:

  • Their attention to detail: Ensuring that every vehicle receives a thorough cleaning that enhances its appearance and longevity with high-quality products
  • Flexible scheduling: Accommodating your fleet’s schedule to minimize downtime
  • Customized packages: Tailoring services to meet the specific needs of your fleet, ensuring each vehicle receives the attention it deserves

Contact Aqua Detail Inc. to discuss how these services can support your fleet maintenance and keep your vehicles looking their best.

*Fleet rates available for negotiation.

Financial health oasis in an economic desert
by SHCA SHCA

Saskatchewan Provides $225,000 to Support Rural Economic Development

On Sept. 10, 2024, the province announced a new funding agreement with the Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance (SEDA) to support rural investment readiness. The province will provide SEDA with $225,000 to enhance investment readiness in rural Saskatchewan.

“Today’s investment by our government will help ensure that rural communities across the province are ready to attract new investment and benefit from Saskatchewan’s rapidly growing economy,” said Jeremy Harrison, trade and export development minister. “Collaboration between government and organizations like SEDA is an important component of Saskatchewan’s investment attraction strategy to secure the next decade of growth in the province. Supporting rural economic development is one of the many ways we are protecting and promoting Saskatchewan and supporting our strong and vibrant communities.”

The funding will be matched by PrairiesCan for a combined total of $450,000 over two years.

“The world is investing in Saskatchewan to meet the needs of a more sustainable global economic future,” said Dan Vandal, federal minister for PrairiesCan. “This support to SEDA will assist rural regions in Saskatchewan prepare for new investment and new economic opportunities, to build stronger rural communities with good local jobs. Our government recognizes that we cannot have a prosperous Canada without successful, competitive and thriving rural communities.”

The project will help targeted regions and local businesses to prepare for investment and growth. This work will help protect and promote the province to the benefit of all those who work and live in Saskatchewan.

“This project aligns with SEDA’s mandate to support Saskatchewan’s economic development ecosystem,” SEDA CEO Verona Thibault said. “We look forward to engaging with industry and enhancing investment readiness in rural areas of the province over the next two years.”

Saskatchewan is committed to fostering a competitive business environment where all businesses can succeed. The province will continue to build on this now and into the future, creating more jobs and opportunities for the people who call this province home.  

Saskatchewan currently has the lowest rate of inflation, according to the Consumer Price Index, at 1.4 per cent. Exports are experiencing significant growth, totaling over $101.9 billion for 2022 and 2023 combined. This is a 52.2 per cent increase from the previous two-year period of 2020-21, which saw $66.9 billion in total exports. 

Statistics Canada’s latest GDP numbers also indicate that Saskatchewan’s 2023 real GDP reached an all-time high of $77.9 billion, increasing by $1.2 billion, or 1.6 per cent. This places Saskatchewan second in the nation for real GDP growth, and above the national average of 1.2 per cent.

Private capital investment is projected to reach $14.2 billion in 2024, an increase of 14.4 per cent over 2023. This is the highest anticipated percentage increase in Canada.

Earlier this year, the province revealed “Securing the Next Decade of Growth: Saskatchewan’s Investment Attraction Strategy,” in conjunction with the launch of the investSK.ca website. These initiatives are positioned to amplify growth in Saskatchewan, serving as pivotal instruments in driving further development.

A solitary yellow safety helmet rests on the gritty floor of a construction site, highlighting workplace safety and preparation.
by SHCA SHCA

Survey Tool Proves Effective in Predicting Injuries and Improving Safety Performance

The Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association (SCSA) and EHS Analytics are proud to share the success of an innovative Safety Culture Survey tool, designed to predict injuries and enhance Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) performance. With the participation of almost 800 construction companies, making it the largest survey of its kind administered at an industry scale, the tool has proven to be an effective leading indicator for safety performance.

The survey tool uses the Institute for Work & Health Organizational Performance Metric (IWH-OPM), an eight-item questionnaire developed by IWH to assess values and beliefs around safety within workplace culture. The large-scale participation of the Saskatchewan construction industry provided data collected over three years, through six rounds of the survey. EHS analyzed the data to gain insights and further support the industry’s safety efforts.

Key findings include:

  • A strong correlation between high survey scores and lower future lost time injury rates.
  • Identification of areas where safety improvements can significantly reduce injury risks.
  • Enhanced ability for firms to benchmark their safety performance against industry standards and peers.
  • Confirmation of the effectiveness of COR® certification.
  • Shortcomings in Canadian OHS performance are not highly related to a lack of tools or equipment.

“Our analysis has proven that the Safety Culture Survey is a true leading indicator of safety performance,” said Mohammad Khalkhali, data science team lead at EHS Analytics. “Finding easy-to-measure, effective leading indicators in safety is incredibly challenging, and the Safety Culture Survey provides companies with the ability to foresee and mitigate potential hazards before they result in incidents. Leading indicators are often considered the ‘Holy Grail’ in safety for predicting risk, and this tool achieves that goal.”

Every SCSA member company is invited to participate in the survey and view their results in a custom analytics dashboard. Companies can see how their score compares to peers, find follow-up questions to make proactive adjustments to their safety program and monitor their performance over time.

“Having insights into one’s own company in a way that can predict incidents is a game changer,” said SCSA president Collin Pullar. “We encourage all of our members to utilize this simple, but insightful culture survey to better understand where they are doing well, but also better recognize and address weakness in their culture to prevent potential injuries. This is a powerful Canadian-built tool, and we would love to see as many companies as possible use it and learn from it to prevent accidents within their workforces.”

“At the Institute for Work & Health, our mission is to conduct and mobilize research that supports policy-makers, employers and workers in creating healthy, safe and inclusive work environments,” said Peter Smith, president of IWH. “To that end, it is heartening to see health and safety organizations such as the SCSA use the IWH-OPM to both understand organizational health and safety practices over time, and to better understand the relationships between these practices and safety outcomes in Saskatchewan.”

The survey is delivered twice a year to SCSA members, each fall and spring. The next round begins on Sept. 23, 2024.

For more information, including an infographic of industry results and white paper, visit scsaonline.ca/resources/safety-culture-survey.

Close Up on Red Hard Hat with Blurred Injured Factory Workers as a Background
by SHCA SHCA

Workplace Injury Results in $65,000 Fine

On July 22, 2024, Bourgault Industries Ltd. o/a Highline Manufacturing Ltd. pleaded guilty in Saskatoon provincial court to one violation of The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020.

Bourgault Industries Ltd. o/a Highline Manufacturing Ltd. was fined for contravening clause 3-1 (a) of the regulations (being an employer, failure to comply with the duties of an employer at a place of employment including the provision and maintenance of a plant, systems of work and working environments that ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of the employers workers, resulting in the serious injury of a worker). Two other charges were withdrawn.

The court imposed a fine of $46,428.57 with a $18,571.43 surcharge, for a total amount of $65,000. The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on June 22, 2022, in Vonda, Sask., when a worker was seriously injured while flushing highly flammable solvent through an electrostatic paint gun.

bulldozer on a building site at sunset
by SHCA SHCA

Have You Checked Out the FREE Made-in-Saskatchewan Safety Videos from the SCGA?

The Saskatchewan Common Ground Alliance (SCGA) often hears, “What can I share at a safety meeting?” or “What is a good topic to discuss during our tailgate meetings?”

The SCGA has many made-in-Saskatchewan videos prepared for anyone’s use, why not check out the SCGA YouTube channel and choose a playlist! There is great content for any safety related meetings.

The SCGA and its 109 members, which include the province’s pipeline and utility companies, continue to advocate for Click Before You Dig and Dig Safe Best Practices.

The SCGA wants to be sure those frontline workers, safety managers, emergency personnel and the public are aware of the importance of working safely around underground and overhead infrastructure.   

The YouTube playlists include: 

  • Training
  • What happens when you hit underground facilities?
  • Locating underground infrastructure
  • Safe working around overhead powerlines

If you are interested in finding out more about the SCGA and its member benefits, go to scga.ca. You can find the SCGA on its socials at –  SCGA (@SaskCGA) / Twitter – SK Common Ground Alliance | Facebook – Saskatchewan Common Ground Alliance: Overview | LinkedIn)

Portrait of asian engineer standing in the factory
by SHCA SHCA

Village Of Laird Fined $150,000 For Violating Occupational Health and Safety Regulations

On July 10, 2024, the Village of Laird pleaded guilty in Rosthern provincial court to two violations of The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020.

The village was fined for contravening subsection 3-6(1) of the regulations (being an employer, failure to ensure that all work at a place of employment is sufficiently and competently supervised, resulting in the serious injury of a worker), as well as contravening clause 11-4(b) of the regulations (being an employer, failure to ensure that if a defect or unsafe condition that may create a hazard to a worker is identified in the powered mobile equipment, steps are taken immediately to protect the health and safety of any worker who may be at risk until the defect is repaired or the unsafe condition is corrected and as soon as is reasonably practicable, the defect is repaired or the unsafe condition is corrected, resulting in the serious injury of a worker).

The court imposed a fine of $53,571.43 with a surcharge of $21,428.57 for each violation, for a total amount of $150,000.

Two other charges were withdrawn.

The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on July 19, 2022, in Laird, Sask., when a worker was seriously injured after they were ejected from the seat of a mower and became trapped beneath it