Health, Safety and the Environment
Gastier has been one of the top five construction employers since 2004 in terms of hours registered with the Commission de la construction du Québec
(CCQ), and our workplace health and safety rates are between 11% and 32% higher than the industry average in all 10 of our active business categories.
Health, safety and the environment are at the heart of the management team’s priorities. At Gastier, productivity, accident prevention and respect
for the environment go hand in hand with everything we do.
That’s why we have a department entirely dedicated to health, safety and the environment, reporting directly to the CEO. This department advises and
supports all personnel. A prevention program has been instituted to stop workplace accidents and work-related illness on worksites and throughout the entire
company. With the main objective of eliminating dangers at the source, the program focuses on health, safety and protecting the physical integrity of all
workers, especially at project sites.
A health and safety manual has been produced outlining everyone’s responsibilities at various levels of the management and supervisory hierarchy.
All Gastier managers and project leaders sign a copy of the manual to attest to their commitment to tracking and reporting the company’s performance
indicators.
But this department does not hold the sole accountability for this important aspect of our work. The responsibility for applying the prevention
program belongs to every single worker, no matter where they stand in the order of things.
Each and every one is responsible for carrying out their tasks safely, so they do not expose themselves or others to danger.
All activities must strictly follow the health, safety and environment rules established by the department.
Senior and middle managers are actively involved in the process. They set the program objectives, provide the resources and support needed to
achieve the objectives, and carefully monitor results and performance on a weekly, monthly and annual basis.
And while executives and managers at Gastier are responsible and ultimately accountable for the health and safety of our work teams, we believe
that workplace health and safety is everybody’s business.
Senior management firmly believes that making work teams independently accountable encourages the implementation of prevention measures that are designed,
developed and carried out by and for the main beneficiaries – that is, the workers themselves.
All workers are involved in the decision-making process on health, safety and environmental matters. We use workshops and training sessions to encourage
research into adapted prevention measures and methods, so employees take ownership of the processes and procedures. And everyone benefits fully from this
arrangement.
The Gastier safety policy is posted in clear view at all worksites. Brochures and newsletters keep employees, and especially supervisors, informed of all
relevant and useful information.
In terms of the environment, the company closely tracks equipment and hazardous materials, including waste oil, compiling daily and monthly reports.
All related actions are documented, and every worksite has its own environmental protection and prevention program. Updates are communicated during safety and environment breaks.
In all business development activities, Gastier targets organizations that share our commitment to safety and are willing to work with us to achieve our high safety standards.