lives, been injured or suffered illness due to workplace tragedies. It makes a fitting prelude to Safety Month in May. In Canada, Construction Safety Week ran from May 4 to 8 this year. It coincided with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety’s Safety and Health Week, which focuses on preventing injury and illness in the workplace, at home and in the community. This year’s theme was “All in Together: Recognize, Respond and Respect.” The first week of May is also Mental Health Week and Emergency Preparedness Week. On behalf of the Toronto City Council, Mayor Olivia Chow proclaimed May as Building Safety Month in the City of Toronto, affirming that the city “supports standards that contribute to safe buildings and environments for everyone.” Lesurf himself took the week off to attend safety promotion events in eight locations. It began on May 4, when LOC and Gillam Group kicked off their annual Construction Safety Week Road Show, with jobsite breakfasts, giveaways, tool talks, presentations and chances to sign League of Champions jerseys as a commitment to safety excellence. Their itinerary included jobsites in Barrie, Waterloo, Etobicoke, Toronto and Bowmanville. On May 28, the LOC C-Suite Leadership Conference took place in Toronto, featuring remarks by Ontario’s chief prevention officer Dr. Joel Moody, a panel discussion, keynote sessions on behavioural leadership and suicide prevention and member awards. In addition, LOC has been circulating a new safety survey to gather feedback from all its members comparing the actions they’ve been engaging in. “One of the things we’re focusing on this year is statistics on injuries and fatalities. The data tells us the story: there are many things that are totally preventable,” Lesurf says. “Most of it comes down to two factors: complacency and situational awareness. These are paramount for everyone.” “WSIB also tracks statistics,” he adds. These reveal good news: over the past five years, the construction sector in Ontario has posted a better injury rate than the average for all Schedule 1 workers (most private and public- sector industries in Ontario, such as construction, manufacturing, mining, transportation, agriculture and health care). “I never want to tell someone the tragic news; that’s one of the reasons I got involved,” Lesurf says. “I want to make sure someone looks after my son, my nephew, and the only way I know how to do that is stepping up and having an influence beyond my sphere, getting out the message that we can all be better – and we need to be.” “My sense is the passion is growing around getting people home safe. Everything’s connected,” says Mollenhauer. He points out the connection between recruiting more young people to ease the labour shortage and building the perception that construction work is as safe as employment in an office setting. “We want to be better employers; we want to be an employer of choice,” he says. “Safety Month is a great opportunity to spread the word about how more employers can get involved and how they can make a difference.” ◄ of everyday vigilance and giving both employers and workers the tools to help them make a difference. “It isn’t so much about finding new and different approaches – although best practices are shared,” says TCA president and CEO John Mollenhauer. “Our industry hasn’t always collaborated well because it’s so fiercely competitive, but on the issue of health and safety we are absolutely aligned. We have a common goal, and that is to ensure that everybody goes home safely to their families every night.” Although health and safety have always been important, “it’s never been more important than now,” he says. “Our industry has been really committed to making a difference, going the extra mile and going above and beyond the call of duty.” This year’s observances began on April 28, Canada’s National Day of Mourning, which honours workers who have lost their BUILDERSDIGEST Quarter 2 2026 23 PRIORITIZING SAFETY
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