For Immediate Release
Keep our Employees Safe While They Work on the Road
Local organizations partner to launch a new safety campaign
Sault Ste. Marie, ON (October 25th, 2023) – Today, PUC Services Inc., The City of Sault Ste. Marie, Sault Ste. Marie Construction Association, Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services and Sault Ste. Marie Paramedic Services launched a new campaign to keep those working on the road safe.
Every day, our employees work on public roads, performing tasks such as responding to emergency calls, fixing potholes, repairing broken water mains at all hours, and building houses. While they prioritize safety, not every member of the public shares the same concern for their well-being. This partnership aims to protect workers while carrying out their duties.
“Last winter, while our crews were repairing a water main break on McNabb Street, one of my colleagues was nearly run over because a member of the public drove through a road closed sign,” stated Janis Gartshore, Manager of Safety, PUC Services Inc. “The driver failed to clean their windshield properly and could only see out of a tiny portion of their windshield. As a result, they came within inches of running over our crews who were trying to fix a broken watermain.”
Unfortunately, stories like this are all too familiar. From police officers directing traffic and drivers not paying attention to the officers, or drivers being distracted by a fire truck or ambulance at a scene of an emergency, the public is not paying attention to the road.
“This spring, we had a school bus drive into the back of one of our member's backhoe,” says Scott Booth, Executive Director, Sault Ste. Marie Construction Association. “Just a couple of minutes earlier, workers were shovelling asphalt out of the backhoe, and if they were still there, they would have been run over. The crews were also at that location for a couple of weeks, so it wasn’t a new construction site.”
Over the next year, the six organizations will be releasing videos highlighting the importance of paying attention to construction signs, pylons and workers on the road. All workers have a family to go home to at the end of the day, and when drivers do not pay attention on the road, they are putting our colleagues at unnecessary risk. They already have a dangerous job, please do your part to keep them safe.
-30-
Contact:
Jairus Patterson
Supervisor, Communications
PUC Services Inc.
C: 705-254-8979
E: Jairus.Patterson@ssmpuc.com
