OGCA News

Ontario General Contractors Association

The ICI Construction Rate Group 723 assessment rate will drop 7.5%, from $4.40 to $4.07 for 2018. The maximum Insurable earnings will increase to $90,300 in 2018.

OGCA, with our partners in the CEC, successfully persuaded the WSIB to decrease construction premium rates. They were constantly at levels above target rates and as a result, the construction industry was paying down a disproportionate amount of the unfunded liability (UFL). Most construction assessment rates were reduced by up to 7.6%.

The WSIB is on target to pay down the UFL by 2020 and reported that the Accident Fund is now 91.8% funded with $2.6 billion still to be retired.

For 2020, the WSIB has scheduled the implementation of a new rating system called Rate Framework. Employers have now been mailed information about the change that confirms their current rate group(s) and the new assessment rate which will be G-1 for most OGCA members. Most multi-rated firms will find that they will be singly rated. Please review the rules and ensure it is appropriate in your case.

We encourage all members to review this information for accuracy and contact the WSIB if it is not. It will serve as your registration in the New Rate Framework system effective 2020.

 Click here to read the letter from WSIB.

President Clive Thurston would like to remind everyone that the upcoming OGCA AGM and Conference will be held at the Omni King Edward Hotel, October 19 - 22, 2017. Hope to see you there! Click here to visit the Events page on the OGCA website.
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Industry News
The Ministry of Labour has released its latest newsletter. Click here to read.

Click here to read RCCAO’s latest report entitled "Infrastructure Ontario: A Key Agency to Implement the Long-Term Infrastructure Plan." It is a single report that has two parts, with the more comprehensive review of IO in Part 2.

The League of Champions is preparing for Friday’s OGCA Safety Awards Breakfast, where the newest members of the League will be recognized and celebrated for their outstanding leadership.

In an industry where construction is defined as "High Risk," the League of Champions will present a special recognition to those champion companies who have gone above and beyond their commitment in Health and Safety by developing, integrating, and successfully achieving COR – the Certificate of Recognition.

We are proud of our members for their extraordinary leadership when it comes to continuing to raise the bar in Health and Safety, while building a safety culture in the workplace.

OGCA’s Annual Safety Awards Breakfast will be held this Friday, September 29, 2017 at Verdi Convention Centre, 3550 Derry Road East in Mississauga. Guest speakers include: Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn, CPO George Gritziotis, Rod Cook - Vice President of WSIB, and Champion Leader and MySafeWork President Rob Ellis.

To learn more about the League of Champions and how you can join, please visit www.theleagueofchampions.com

On Friday, September 22, Keynote speaker Jessica DiSabatino from MySafeWork spoke to over 400 students who are entering into the construction and utility program at St. Clair College in Chatham, Ontario.

Champion Leader Dave Hannon, from Stuart Olson Constructors, helped field questions related to workplace safety, reinforcing the message that students have the right to refuse unsafe work. He advised that it is their right to have the proper orientation and training that is required and they should speak up if unsafe acts are being carried out.


Jessica DiSabatino’s next stop is at Ottawa University on October 19, 2017. Champion Leaders are invited to attend. Please contact Lyndsy@ogca.ca to register.

 

 


Safety

The Certificate of Recognition (COR™) certification is awarded to companies that have demonstrated ability in the development and implementation of an effective health and safety program.

With an outstanding score of 92%, OGCA would like to congratulate Alpeza General Contracting Inc. (AGC), for its accomplishment in achieving their COR™ designation.

This achievement for a small contracting company makes a strong statement about how much they value their workers and how committed they are to ensuring that their employees and jobsites are safe and secure from injury.

"At AGC, keeping a safe and healthy workplace is more important than convenience. By achieving COR™, we wanted to develop a whole-hearted commitment towards worker safety and a corporate safety culture that is fully embraced across our organization, starting from the top to the bottom including our subtrades.

Achieving COR™ was not an easy task for a small firm like ours. It required personal dedication and commitment, not only by senior management, but also by our entire AGC team to keep the workplace safe at all times, while managing high volumes of safety documents.

We are successful today because we set realistic goals and time-frames, adopting a safety culture custom tailored for our unique AGC team and projects."

John Alpeza, President, Alpeza General Contracting Inc.

In this issue:

  • IHSA Safety Talk: Needlestick and Sharp-object Injuries
  • Health and Safety Advisory: Tower Crane Hoist Brakes
  • Time for a mid-year review of your health and safety practices
  • IHSA supports Whitby Hydro Contractor Safety Day
  • Reminder: IHSA Annual General Meeting October 4
  • Working at Heights Refresher update
Click here to access the 2-Minute News. 

Member News

 Congratulations to Mike Moore for being named one of Ontario’s safest small business by the WSIB at their Annual Meeting on September 20, 2017. Over 60 firms were nominated and three, including Mike Moore, were selected and recognized.

President Clive Thurston congratulated Jason Shuttleworth who accepted the award on behalf of his company. Mike Moore has been COR Certified since 2013.

Associate Partner News and Events

McMillan has released its latest newsletter. Click here to read it. 

The Cleveland Clinic is holding a Men's Health night on September 28. 

Please click here to see the invitation and contact numbers to register.

Sherrard Kuzz is offering an intensive course entitled: CONDUCTING AN EFFECTIVE WORKPLACE HARASSMENT INVESTIGATION. Click here for the details.

Recent amendments to the Ontario Health and Safety Act, Bill 132 stand to dramatically change how workplace harassment is addressed in Ontario and will continue to be a paramount issue for employers. As a direct result of these amendments, recent Supreme Court rulings have made it much easier for employees to sue their employer for damages resulting from harassment. Click here to read the entire article.

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ONTARIO GENERAL CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION
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Tel 905-671-3969