SMALL STEPS 
SMALL STEPS 
TOWARD A  
TOWARD A  
SAFER INDUSTRY
SAFER INDUSTRY
SLIPS, TRIPS, LADDER MISHAPS 
and falls: they may not sound like 
catastrophic construction risks, but “if you 
struck those out of the equation, you’d 
eliminate over 85 per cent of injuries 
and 50 per cent of fatalities,” says Craig 
Lesurf, president of Gillam Group.
Lesurf is extraordinarily committed to 
workplace safety. He chairs the Ontario 
General Contractors Association (OGCA) 
Safety Committee and is a board member, 
past chair and executive member of the 
Toronto Construction Association, where 
he advocates tirelessly for safety culture 
within the industry.
He is also the founder and a dedicated 
leader of the League of Champions (LOC), 
which advocates for health and safety 
excellence in construction. The league’s 
symbolic hockey-style jerseys are a 
familiar sight in May. By signing a jersey, 
company leaders and employees alike 
have an opportunity to commit to working 
safely every day and keeping everyone 
else safe.
“I use League of Champions to talk about 
safety; every one of my senior leaders and 
safety leaders has a jersey,” says Lesurf. 
“I started in this business 40 years ago. 
Then, it was production first, safety 
second. Now it’s safety first,  
production second.”
Incremental steps can result in powerful 
changes. In its June 2026 Report for 
the Labour-Management Network, the 
Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, 
Training and Skills Development’s 
Construction Health and Safety Program 
pointed out that “Canadian occupational 
safety reported findings from an 
evaluation of WSIB’s Health and Safety 
Excellence Program found it has led to 
STATISTICS SHOW THAT VIGILANCE AND AWARENESS ARE KEY TO HEALTH AND SAFETY FOR ALL
measurable reductions in workplace 
injuries.” In the construction sector, this 
means a drop of 13.5 per cent in the lost 
time injury rate per 100 workers.
The report adds, “The research highlights 
that engagement, program progression 
and tailoring safety measures to specific 
risks are key to success, while also 
improving leadership involvement and 
workplace safety culture.” Unfortunately, 
WSIB figures also show that not all 
employers are equally engaged in 
safety culture.
In May 2026, the Ministry of Labour, 
Training and Skills Development reported 
three construction fatalities and 99 
critical injuries – more than last year. 
This is why the industry takes time during 
Safety Month every May to participate 
in a variety of events dedicated to 
raising awareness about the importance 
By Sarah Hood
22   Quarter 2  2026   BUILDERSDIGEST 
PRIORITIZING SAFETY

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