TSSA winners of the 2016 Safety Awards

This year’s recipients of the annual TSSA Safety Awards exemplify the spirit of shared responsibility that sustains Ontario’s reputation as one of the safest jurisdictions in the world. L-R – Nick Petruzzella, Six Nations Natural Gas, Miranda Sorensen, CSIA Ontario, Scott Foster, Enbridge Gas Distribution (CNW Group/Technical Standards and Safety Authority, Stakeholder Communications Group)

Toronto – The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA), Ontario’s public safety regulator mandated by the government to enforce provincial safety rules in fuels, boilers and pressure vessels, operating engineer, elevating devices, amusement devices, ski lifts and upholstered and stuffed articles, announced three winners of its annual Safety Awards at its Annual General meeting.

• – Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc. was selected for its outstanding work to raise public awareness about carbon monoxide poisoning and other risks associated with natural gas. Its ‘Six Second Safety’ campaign used short, attention-grabbing videos to educate homeowners about the importance of maintaining natural-gas fueled appliances and installing carbon monoxide detectors. The campaign earned over a million views on social media and even more through a host of radio and online ads and brought greater awareness of a serious issue in an easily accessible and memorable way.
• – The Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance (CSIA) – Ontario was acknowledged with a TSSA Safety Award for its work as a frontline ambassador for ski lift safety. Working at Ontario’s ski hills, CSIA instructors teach beginner skiers and boarders how to get on and off the lift safely. Their dedication, guidance, and effective safety efforts ensure safety at Ontario’s ski hills, both going up the hill and coming down.
• – Six Nations Natural Gas Limited (SNNG), the first natural gas utility owned and built by a First Nation community, also received a TSSA Safety Award for putting safety at the forefront of its operations. In 1988, SNNG acquired the assets of a gas utility with a failing infrastructure. Not content with leaking metal pipes, SNNG immediately replaced the line and developed a risk management system to enhance service and safety. They also partnered with Ontario One Call to promote safe excavating practices.

“This year’s winners represent the breadth of TSSA’s regulated sectors in fuels and ski lifts and reflect a commitment to public safety that is both admirable and worthy of recognition,” said TSSA President and CEO Michael Beard. “This year’s recipients not only brought a greater level of safety to those around them. They reinforced the notion that safety is a shared responsibility in extraordinary ways.”

Launched in 2015, TSSA’s Safety Awards program was created as a way to formally acknowledge individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to public safety in TSSA’s regulated sectors. This year’s awards were issued in Toronto during a ceremony held as part of TSSA’s Annual General Meeting.

Source: Technical Standards and Safety Authority, Stakeholder Communications Group