City employees had eight fewer safety-related incidents during the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same time in 2020, a result that city hall attributes to a new safety officer.
There were 34 total safety incidents from April to June among municipal workers compared to 42 during the same quarter last year, a decrease of roughly 21 per cent, according to a city council report. Some of these incidents — compared to 2020 — included:
- Injuries: nine / 21 (2020)
- Motor vehicle accidents: 12 / 16 (2020)
- Property damage: eight / four (2020)
- Dangerous occurrence: five / one (2020)
There were no lost time days during the second quarter, whereas there were 50.5 lost days due to three injuries in 2020, the report continued. Meanwhile, most property damages occurred because of road conditions, driver inattention, overgrown trees, equipment design or equipment failure.
City employees were responsible for 64 per cent of motor vehicle incidents, while the reasons for the dangerous occurrences included unsecured loads, improper tools, improper procedures, and a civilian vehicle driving through a work zone.
During the first two quarters of this year, the number of safety incidents was 81 compared to 65 last year, an increase of about 19 per cent. This included:
- Injuries: 27 / 36 (2020)
- Motor vehicle accidents: 36 / 20 (2020)
- Property damage: 10 / six (2020)
- Dangerous occurrence: eight / three (2020)
“You can see there’s a pretty good reduction there in quarter two,” city manager Jim Puffalt told city council during its recent meeting. “That was the first quarter we had the second safety officer (employed), so we’re glad to see that.”
A 20-per-cent reduction in safety incidents is significant for a quarter’s worth of work, he added. City hall is on track to fulfill its promise made during the 2021 budget discussions to reduce accidents — particularly motor vehicle incidents — over the next two years.
Engineering services
The engineering services department awarded nine contractors $13.96 million through tenders or requests for proposal during the second quarter. Some projects included paving, joint sealing, side repairs, traffic control upgrades, design of the Thunderbird (Fourth Avenue) Viaduct rehabilitation, the Wellesley Park lift station, South Hill pump station upgrades, and agri-food industrial park servicing.
The department also spoke with Canadian National Railway about the Coteau Street East bridge, the report said. CN is willing to share costs to demolish the bridge; the municipality is drafting an agreement to solidify this work.
Servicing for the Canadian Tire site at 250 Thatcher Drive is essentially completed from city hall’s perspective, Puffalt said. He added that he found it exciting to drive by the site and see the steel skeleton of the building going up quickly.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Sept. 13.
