S A F E T Y
Lifesaving Behaviours
and Icons campaign
stands the test of time
By Rae Thygesen, ARHCA
In 2016, the Colas Canada Group of Companies embarked
on the Goal Zero campaign to give all Colas companies
a common safety framework. As safety is always a top
priority for member company Standard General, they’ve
embraced the campaign full on, and continue the tradition of
safety in everything they do.
For Colas Global Safety Week 2020, Standard General utilized
its corporate health and safety committee to develop the
Safety Week awareness campaign focused on the eight core
and five supplemental Lifesaving Icons the group introduced
in 2019 (shown on page 18). They wanted to do something
big, and ensure they got buy-in from every single employee,
translating that campaign into a permanent aspect of company
culture.
The Safety Week 2020 Lifesaving Behaviours and Icons
campaign involved focused daily safety meetings on the
Lifesaving Behaviors and Icons and how they apply to the
many common hazards of the roadbuilding industry. They
are meant to act as visible reminders about how to do things
safely and to encourage others to do the same.
How it worked
For the entire week, the committee decided to have supervisors
focus on three icons per day at morning tailgate
meetings or Toolbox Talks. They would go through each
icon, discussing:
• What the icon meant
• How it applied to their work
• The methods used to control the hazards
• The compliance checks to go through before
performing a task
To ensure employees understood how important these
icons were, every manager in the company showed their visible
commitment to Goal Zero by attending a different tailgate
meeting each day, which also gave them the chance to
get facetime with all employees, including those in divisions
they did not directly oversee.
During the week, Standard General also held an employeeled
contest, whereby employees were encouraged to take
pictures of their tailgate meetings, with the HSC members
Photos courtesy of Standard General
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