Job site safety was the primary focus of a barbecue lunch hosted by Canadian Home Builders’ Association - Central Alberta (CHBA-CA) last week.
Organizers estimated between 50 and 70 residential trade workers attended the free lunch event, which saw government and industry representatives host a variety of interactive safety demonstrations in Ryders Ridge.
“Even if we get one person to listen to us, we’ve done what we’re supposed to do, but we had the opportunity to talk to at least 50 or 70 of them,” said Denie Olmstead, CHBA-CA executive officer.
A similar event held in Red Deer in June attracted between 130 and 150 people, putting into perspective the success of the Sylvan Lake event, he added.
“In comparison, the developments in Red Deer are much larger than the developments in Sylvan, so 50 to 70 was a great success,” he said.
While fun and interactive, the event — billed as a chance to “inform and educate residential construction site workers regarding virtually every aspect of job site safety” — very much fulfilled its purpose, Olmstead felt.
Participants were given passports that were stamped after each interaction they had with one of the exhibitors on hand. Four stamps made them eligible for a number of door prizes.
Sylvan Lake firefighters and ATCO Gas representatives were among the guests providing demonstrations, which related to Occupational Health and Safety, fire prevention, first aid and CPR, fire extinguisher training, fall protection and the Call Before You Dig program.
Event partners and sponsors were also on hand to offer information and provide print correspondence.
While organizers hadn’t yet had a chance to gauge feedback from the event, it was, all in all, an effective way of delivering important messages, according to Olmstead.
“This was our first year of (hosting the barbecue), and I think it was successful enough that we want to continue on next year and make it an annual event.”