April 28, 2008

Construction Safety Association of Ontario

Tragedy spurs CSAO chief Nicholls’ lifelong commitment to safety

VINCE VERSACE

staff writer

On the 24th national Day of Mourning, the Construction Safety Association of Ontario’s new president still recalls the first workplace death he ever witnessed and says an accident is never really an accident.

“That incident still bothers me to this day,” says Bill Nicholls, CSAO president. ‘There is nothing more gut-wrenching or grueling than someone kissing their spouse and kids goodbye in the morning and never returning home after a day’s work. It is heart-breaking and it still happens.”

In 1973, Nicholls was an 18-year-old apprentice painting a bank when he heard some noise and turned around in time to witness his mentor falling from some scaffolding. His mentor hit the terrazzo floor and died of his injuries eight hours later in the hospital.

“I still think about the accident, losing my mentor, the investigation and how it brought safety to the forefront of mind like never before,” explains Nicholls. “It shaped how I approach safety and that no one should ever gamble on a jobsite.”

Nicholls says he never puts a worker in a situation that he would not go into himself and that industry stakeholders and leaders must ensure workers think about safety first.

Workers have to be diligent and prepare properly, no matter how many times they have performed a given task, adds Nicholls.

The CSAO can help complement this worker diligence through its continued prevention-awareness work. He believes one of the CSAO’s challenges is having the added resources to expand awareness initiatives.

“Increasing prevention is a goal, but the funding that helps deliver that prevention awareness is a challenge,” says Nicholls. “The CSAO has done some great work on prevention awareness and in the technical aspects of prevention.

Worksite falls and workers being crushed by materials or equipments are still common causes of injuries in construction and Nicholls would like to explore why they still happen, considering there is mandatory fall protection in place.

Nicholls would also like the CSAO to engage in more occupational disease research since illness from work methods and materials is a growing issue industry wide.

“As an industry, we need to make sure that occupational health and disease remain priorities as we move forward,” says Nicholls. “Also, we all have to step it up a notch and have a full buy-in from everyone who participates in our industry.”

Nicholls first involvement with the CSAO was during his tenure as secretary treasurer of the Ontario Council of Painters. When he became vice president of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario he joined the CSAO’s board of directors. Nicholls is now president of the Painters Council and business manager of the Painters District Council 46.

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