Welcome to a powerful series by Gale Force Wins, where we explore the heart of safety in Newfoundland and Labrador’s construction industry. Through candid conversations with industry leaders, workers, and partners, we uncover the collective dedication to ensure everyone gets home safely to their families every day. This series highlights the vital role of organizations like the NLCSA and their collaborative efforts in building a robust culture of safety across the province.

Michelle Evans

Michelle Evans, the General Manager of Terra Nova Trusses and a Board Member of the NLCSA, has been with her locally owned and operated company, celebrating its 50th anniversary next year, for nearly 10 years. Terra Nova Trusses has been involved with NLCSA since 2010, utilizing their resources, online training, in-house training, and e-learning. Michelle finds the NLCSA staff highly educated, well-versed, and readily available for questions. Her company has been CORE certified since 2010, which was initially important for bidding on work. The CORE program has significantly impacted her employees by making them more knowledgeable about health and safety policies and procedures, giving them a voice, and fostering accountability and proactive engagement in safety. She values the annual internal and external audits, preferring NLCSA to conduct external audits because they bring a clear vision, understand their business, and can tailor the safety program. Terra Nova Trusses conducts most of its training through NLCSA, appreciating the versatility of options (classroom, online) for various needs like WHMIS and power line safety. Michelle also leverages NLCSA’s online resources, such as toolbox talks, for her company’s monthly meetings. As a board member in her first year, she enjoys meeting people, having diverse conversations, and bringing insights back to the Canadian Homebuilders Association. She praises the collaborative spirit of the board, allowing members to share ideas and implement best practices. Overall, NLCSA has significantly opened doors to conversation and increased employee accountability and awareness within her company’s safety culture.

Rick Donato

Rick Donato, the HSCQ Manager at RothLochston Constructors, leads safety for a company with five business units involved in maintenance, construction, fabrication, and scaffolding across various hazardous sectors, including mining and utilities in Newfoundland, Alberta, and Ontario. Safety is critical for RothLochston due to the high-risk nature of their work, often taking on tasks clients cannot or will not do. He emphasizes the company’s strong commitment to ensuring everyone goes home safe. All five of RothLochston’s business units are CORE certified, which provides consistency across their diverse operations and locations, with similar auditing and requirements nationwide. Rick highlights auditing as crucial for continuous improvement, helping to identify gaps and weaknesses, with NLCSA doing a good job in ensuring thoroughness. He notes that mental health has become a critical and challenging topic in the industry, especially for fly-in/fly-out workers facing added pressures. Rick explains that mental health issues can lead to serious consequences, often affecting a person’s ability to keep their “mind on their task,” which can be a root cause of incidents previously attributed to worker blame. He expresses being a “100% fan” of NLCSA, valuing their good relationships, the fresh perspectives from different core auditors, and the phenomenal leadership.

Warrick Butler

Warrick Butler, owner of Butler’s Quality Contracting and a past Board Chair of NLCSA, has been involved in the residential construction industry for over 20 years. He has held various leadership roles within NLCSA, serving on committees and as past chair, driven by a desire to give back to the industry that has supported him. He views NLCSA as a vital platform that represents the entire construction industry (commercial, industrial, residential) and brings people together to develop solutions for common challenges. Warrick is a strong advocate for Site Safe, a new program he championed for smaller employers (under 20 people). He believes Site Safe is a more user-friendly and obtainable alternative to the CORE program for small businesses, helping them to “get in there with their courses and develop a nice safety culture”. He hopes this program will encourage smaller companies to adopt safety practices, preventing them from being shut down due to incidents. Warrick advises other companies to “get involved” with NLCSA, asserting that it’s “not as hard as you might think” and will lead to better-operating, safer sites, ultimately paying for itself through reduced injuries and potential government Prime rebates. He notes that since the association’s formation, injury rates have “dropped dramatically”, indicating a significant positive change in safety practices, even though legislation isn’t always fully documented on site.

Glenn Richardson

Glenn Richardson is the Manager of NLCSA Programs, bringing over 12 years of experience with the association and a background in health and safety from the British military. His role at NLCSA is forward-thinking, focusing on improving existing programs and developing new initiatives to stay ahead of industry needs and make processes easier for members. He detailed NLCSA’s flagship program, the CORE (Certificate of Recognition) program, which is based on a national accreditation standard through the Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations (CFCSA) and also meets Newfoundland and Labrador’s provincial WorkplaceNL Prime standard. While primarily aimed at construction companies, CORE’s auditing system can be applied to almost any company. Glenn also spoke about Site Safe, a brand new initiative launching September 15th, specifically designed for small construction companies in the province, especially those new to health and safety. Site Safe is envisioned as a layered program, starting with basic training and gradually building on practical safety activities year-on-year, making it less overwhelming than a “big everything all at the same time” approach. Additionally, he discussed the NCSO (National Construction Safety Officer) certification, aimed at individuals for career development in full-time or secondary health and safety roles, requiring experience and exams, and the NHSA (National Health and Safety Administrator) accreditation, which is similar but without the practical construction experience, for new entrants or those not working in the field. Glenn emphasizes that the NLCSA team comprises safety professionals with a wealth of knowledge who are “here to help” members, build safety management systems, answer questions, and ultimately ensure people go home safely at the end of the day.

Mark Balsom

Mark Balsom, the Corporate Quality Health Safety Environment Director for The Cahill Group, emphasizes that health and safety are core to their business, as their people are their biggest resource. A world-class safety program is essential for executing projects on time and on budget, ensuring workers get home safely every day. The Cahill Group intersects with NLCSA in several ways, primarily for training to educate their workforce on critical safety topics like PPE, fall protection, and confined space. Mark highlights the CORE program as a “great measuring stick” when hiring subcontractors, ensuring they have and maintain a safety program at an acceptable level. He finds the CORE audits, even for a large organization, valuable for gaining external perspectives and assessing the depth of their program’s implementation through employee interviews. Mark is particularly passionate about mental health, drawing on his 18 years as a volunteer firefighter where he “seen a lot”. He notes that the industry may not fully comprehend how mental health impacts day-to-day operations, often misattributing incidents to “high risk tolerance” when underlying root causes are mental health-related. He stresses that personal mental health stresses cannot be left “at the door” and directly impact a worker’s “mind on task” in safety-sensitive roles. Mark recommends NLCSA as a “great resource” with “great people” for anyone looking to start or enhance their safety programs, offering support for both general safety and mental health.

Jamie Curtis

Jamie Curtis, a mechanical engineer with Newfoundland & Labrador Hydro, shared a deeply personal and powerful story about his journey with mental health. He bravely recounted suffering in silence from depression and anxiety, to the point of contemplating suicide, a struggle he hid due to the “tough guy attitude” prevalent in his industry. Jamie credits a good friend at work who simply “sat there and he listened” for saving his life, underscoring the immense courage it took for him to reach out. Having lived through this experience, he now understands that reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness. He has become a safety leader, using his story to encourage others to talk about their struggles, listening without offering advice, and “broadening this message to the public that it’s okay to talk about this stuff”. Jamie is now actively involved in NLCSA’s mental health and suicide prevention initiatives, which he sees as the “exact program that saved my life”. This program focuses on training individuals to recognize signs and symptoms, understand what to do when someone is in crisis, and, most importantly, to show care and listen. He passionately urges anyone struggling to “speak up” and “reach out for help,” emphasizing the “amazing and astounding” amount of support and care available from friends, coworkers, and family.

Lloyd Hussey

Lloyd Hussey is a long-standing member of the NLCSA board, having served since its formation in 1996/97. As an engineering technologist and contractor, he was instrumental in the association’s early days, including meeting with the Nova Scotia Safety Association to model NLCSA’s approach. Lloyd explains that NLCSA was born out of a collaborative construction industry forum, driven by the need for consistent and industry-controlled safety training. He highlights a significant statistic: after an initial rise in accidents from 1996 to 2000, accidents dramatically decreased while employment increased over the next decade, a unique trend in Canada. He recalls the early challenges of establishing a curriculum and training trainers. The widespread adoption of the CORE (Certificate of Recognition) certification was significantly boosted when major construction purchasers, such as Newfoundland & Labrador Hydro and the provincial government, began requiring it for work. Lloyd also points to the Prime program with WorkplaceNL, which provides workers’ compensation rate reductions for CORE-certified companies, as a “transformational” incentive that can help offset the costs of safety programs. He emphasizes the unique and highly collaborative nature of the NLCSA board, which includes representatives from all stakeholders across the construction industry in Newfoundland (e.g., heavy civil, homebuilders, horticulturalists, engineers), fostering a unified approach to safety. This broad representation ensures that solutions are developed to help every person “come home at the end of the day,” a source of immense pride for him, knowing that their work leads to “less and less” accidents. The long tenure of the NLCSA staff, he notes, speaks to their deep commitment to occupational health and safety.

Lori Curtis

Lori Curtis has been a dedicated safety adviser at the NLCSA for 15 years, specializing in safety training, including the Certificate of Recognition (CORE) program, where she helps members build, sustain, and develop their safety programs. Lori expresses her passion for connecting with people and the variety her job offers, from conducting demand training in trailers on-site to working at kitchen tables, tailoring support to each company’s unique needs. She particularly enjoys traveling to remote parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, experiencing the beauty of the province while engaging with members. Lori describes NLCSA’s audits as a personalized approach, where advisors spend a full day with companies, visiting work sites, interviewing workers, and identifying both struggles and initiatives where companies “go above and beyond”. She emphasizes that NLCSA’s work is not just a safety program but a “very personal approach” and a “partnership” built on relationships. She highlights the high quality of NLCSA’s instructors who strive to deliver valuable learning experiences in courses ranging from safety committees to working at heights and confined space entry. Lori summarizes how NLCSA helps by “definitely listening,” understanding members’ strengths, weaknesses, and experiences, and always being “here to help,” encouraging members to call and utilize their website resources. Her deep passion for safety comes from a fundamental desire to ensure people are safe, “make it home at the end of the day,” and “live a really good life,” a sentiment rooted in experiences with family members who have been injured or lost.

Tammy McCabe

Tammy McCabe, the Manager of Communications and Industry Relations at NLCSA, has dedicated 16 years to the association, starting as an instructor and evolving into her current role where she influences health and safety through industry engagement. She emphasizes the critical importance of stakeholder engagement and hearing “everyone’s voice” to develop better solutions and shape NLCSA’s resources and training. Tammy details several of NLCSA’s engagement initiatives, including establishing sector-specific safety committees with home builders, commercial construction, and heavy civil associations to address their unique challenges. Furthermore, NLCSA has created a network of regional health and safety committees across the province (Avalon, Gander, West Coast, with Labrador soon), which directly engage members on the ground, adapt training, provide resources, and foster collaboration through platforms like Teams. She highlights practical outcomes like developing a toolbox talk on hunting season safety after a regional committee raised concerns about near misses. NLCSA also facilitates incident alerts, where companies anonymously share incidents for industry-wide learning. Tammy expresses a deep passion for mental health, acknowledging that factors like remote work and job insecurity contribute to challenges in the construction industry. She points out that mental health issues can impact a worker’s “mind on task,” leading to incidents. To address this, NLCSA established a Mental Health Task Force in 2021 with over 100 stakeholders, including those with lived experience, to tackle the high suicide rates in construction. They are adapting Australia’s “Mates in Construction” program, a “three-tiered approach” to build peer support, train workers to “reach in” when a colleague is struggling, normalize conversations, and help access resources before a crisis. Tammy encourages members to engage with NLCSA for any safety needs, emphasizing that the association is “by our members, for our members” and that every staff member is dedicated to helping them succeed. Her “why” for this work stems from her involvement with Threads of Life, witnessing the devastating impact of workplace tragedies on families, reinforcing the critical importance of prevention and ensuring workers go home “healthy and whole”.

Miranda Brazil

Miranda Brazil, Manager of Safety at Newfoundland Power, brings 20 years of safety profession experience to her role, where safety is the “top priority” and “a way of life” for the utility, especially given the high electrical hazards. Newfoundland Power places immense value on protecting its employees, contractors, and the public. They are a long-standing partner with NLCSA, collaborating in multiple ways. Their employees regularly attend NLCSA’s accredited training to ensure a competent workforce. Newfoundland Power also sponsors NLCSA’s annual safety conference, using it as an opportunity to learn and promote electrical safety. They contribute their subject matter experts to NLCSA’s power line technical committees, informing hazard courses, and partner on public safety initiatives like the “Cones Out” campaign to improve messaging and knowledge on roadways. Miranda emphasizes the value of the CORE program for their contractor safety management, as it indicates a “strong commitment to safety,” robust management systems, a proactive approach to injury prevention, and national credibility. She notes that CORE-certified companies tend to execute projects more efficiently and deliver higher quality work. Newfoundland Power actively participates in NLCSA’s regional safety committees, finding them invaluable for sharing lessons learned, best practices, building trust, and motivating continuous improvement across companies. Miranda stresses that partnerships are “critical” because safety cannot be achieved in isolation; collaborative expertise promotes “sound, factual information” and a proactive safety culture. These partnerships are pivotal for public and contractor safety, contributing to Newfoundland Power’s resilient and reliable power system.

Dennis Hogan

Dennis Hogan, the former and founding CEO of the NLCSA (1997) and current Chief Executive Officer of St. John’s International Airport Authority, offers a unique historical perspective on the association. He recalls the initial “excitement” and challenges of establishing NLCSA, which was driven by the high cost of workplace injuries in the construction industry at the time and modeled after similar associations in Nova Scotia and Alberta. In its early days, NLCSA focused on educating the industry, gaining buy-in from diverse stakeholders (including heavy civil, commercial, home building, and unions), and changing the safety culture. Dennis proudly notes that the association’s work led to a significant decrease in workplace incidents and injuries. He describes the positive impact and legacy of NLCSA as “astonishing” and a “defining experience” of his career, commending the industry for its buy-in to truly make a difference. From his current vantage point at the airport, he observes NLCSA’s continuous improvement mindset, including its sophisticated research projects and “razor focus on mental health,” consistently fine-tuning its “solid set of programming”. At St. John’s Airport, he applies the safety fundamentals learned at NLCSA and ensures all major contractors are CORE certified, leveraging his deep understanding of the program’s background. He highly praises the NLCSA team for their “passion and a calling,” providing tangible results through training and programming that educate workers on their rights and responsibilities and employers on their expectations, fostering a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.

Kim Cullen

Kim Cullen is the Co-Director of SafetyNet Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Research at Memorial University, a research center focused on protecting workers, engaging stakeholders, and training students in occupational health and safety. Her personal research concentrates on how work organization impacts health, guided by the principle that “work shouldn’t hurt”. Kim strongly advocates for collaboration between academia, government, and industry, emphasizing that research is only valuable if it addresses real-world problems and translates into meaningful impact. She is currently involved in a “Core project” with NLCSA, a research initiative launched by NLCSA itself to understand the effectiveness of its Certificate of Recognition (CORE) program. The project aims to identify what works well, reasons why companies disengage, and how to reach those who have never participated, given that CORE-like programs are proven to reduce injury risks. Kim is also deeply passionate about mental health and suicide prevention research, particularly in the construction industry, where there is a high prevalence of suicide. Her work with NLCSA in this area seeks to understand how workplaces can become more “psychologically safe” and prevent work from contributing to decisions of self-harm, emphasizing the need to “protect every worker”. She describes the collaboration as Memorial University providing the data analysis and evidence to help NLCSA demonstrate the real-world effect of their safety initiatives.

Allison Green

Allison Green, the Team Lead for IT and Administration at NLCSA, has been with the association for nearly 25 years, making her one of its longest-serving employees. She has witnessed significant growth, from a small group of seven to a larger complement of safety advisors, administrative staff, and a dedicated board. Allison highlights NLCSA’s continuous improvement mindset, noting a shift among members from merely meeting requirements to proactively seeking ways to optimize safety and efficiency. Her role involves managing administrative staff and advancing NLCSA’s technological capabilities. She points to the expansion of training delivery methods, particularly in response to the pandemic, moving from only classroom training to virtual live instruction, e-learning, and webinars, effectively removing geographical barriers across Newfoundland and Labrador. This technological leap, unimaginable 25 years ago, allows for self-paced online training and immediate certificate issuance. Allison emphasizes that NLCSA’s safety advisors are readily available to answer questions and that the organization provides comprehensive resources. She describes the relationship with members as a “large family” that is also “intimate”. Her core message to members is that NLCSA “belongs to you”, acting as a dedicated resource that provides service and support, ensuring companies, regardless of size, are “not alone” in their safety efforts.

Cherie Whelan

Cherie Whelan, the CEO of NLCSA since January 2024, brings a wealth of experience from WorkplaceNL (workers’ compensation and prevention), occupational health and safety investigations (including 19 preventable fatality investigations), and previous roles in private industry and a safety association in BC. She views herself as a public servant, combining passion with purpose, planning, and execution to make workplaces safer. Cherie asserts that collaboration is “fundamental” for systemic change, highlighting NLCSA’s engaged and diverse board, which includes representatives from all facets of the construction industry, as well as WorkplaceNL and ServiceNL. She aims to use data to surgically identify employers most in need of assistance, moving beyond broad strategies. Cherie identifies complacency as “enemy number one” and is committed to continuous improvement, including streamlining internal processes and shifting NLCSA’s audit approach from seeking 100% compliance to fostering ongoing improvement, recognizing that perfection can breed complacency. She proudly announced the upcoming Site Safe Certification (launching September 15th), a new program for small employers (under 20 workers). This program, modeled on a successful BC initiative, offers accessible online basic safety training to qualify companies for WorkplaceNL Prime rebates for the first time. NLCSA is also launching a pilot program to deliver OH&S (PPE) courses in high schools, aiming to introduce safety concepts early and promote construction as a viable career path. Cherie’s “why” is deeply personal, stemming from her experience with preventable fatalities and the impact on families, reinforcing her conviction that “everyone needs to be part of the solution”.

Ryan Davis

Ryan Davis, a Project Manager with Marco Group, which constructs commercial buildings across the Atlantic provinces, states that safety is “at the forefront of almost any decisions” for his company, deeming it the “most important thing” without which nothing else can happen. As a Director on the NLCSA board and a representative for the Newfoundland & Labrador Construction Association (NLCA), Ryan emphasizes the critical importance of having “everyone voice” around the board table. This collaborative approach, he notes, ensures that discussions are balanced and issues are solved efficiently for all members. Ryan sees NLCSA as having a profound impact by shifting the safety culture in the industry, fostering personal responsibility, and providing the necessary tools and resources for employees to return home safely. He highlights NLCSA’s vital advocacy role in working directly with the provincial government on training standards and key decisions affecting the industry. Speaking to other employers, Ryan’s message is clear: NLCSA is “here to make employers succeed” by safeguarding their most valuable asset – their people. He asserts that the “strongest companies are usually the safest,” advocating for using NLCSA’s tools and resources to achieve this success.

Trina Troke

Trina Troke, the current Board Chair of NLCSA, brings 25 years of industry experience in project management and construction, where safety has always been her “absolute ultimate priority”. She stresses that while cost and schedule are important, ensuring “everyone gets home safe at the end of the day” is paramount. Trina emphasizes the need for leaders and managers to be visible on work sites and to actively advocate for safety, demonstrating that it is driven from the field level, not just head office. She underscores the strength of NLCSA’s diverse board, which includes representatives from various backgrounds, including small and large employers, labor, and industry stakeholders like Professional Engineers and Geoscientists Newfoundland & Labrador and Newfoundland Power. Trina believes NLCSA plays a “very important role” in the industry, having witnessed its positive impact over her career as workers have become “much more engaged” and knowledgeable about hazards and prevention. She champions “continuous improvement” as essential, stating “it’s never good enough” as long as injuries occur, and they strive for the “perfection” of zero incidents. Trina highlights NLCSA’s advocacy efforts, including the Construction Industry Incident Alert program, which voluntarily shares anonymized incident information across the industry to prevent recurrence and foster shared learning. Her key messages to members include utilizing NLCSA’s cost-effective and convenient training (in-person, virtual, online), leveraging their comprehensive website resources (toolbox talks, safety plans, legislative links), and tapping into their “great team of safety professionals” who are knowledgeable, experienced, and “there to help”.

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Ensuring Worker Safety: Insights from Newfoundland & Labrador Construction Safety Association Stakeholders

Discover how the Newfoundland & Labrador Construction Safety Association (NLCSA) is transforming workplace safety culture across the province. Through candid conversations with industry leaders, board members, and safety professionals, Gale Force Wins uncovers the pivotal role NLCSA plays in ensuring every construction worker gets home safely to their family at the end of the day.

This series highlights NLCSA’s industry-driven commitment to preventing harm and reducing loss. From the widespread adoption of the CORE (Certificate of Recognition) program, which elevates safety standards for companies of all sizes, to the innovative Site Safe Certification designed specifically for small employers, NLCSA provides accessible training, robust auditing, and vital resources. Stakeholders praise NLCSA’s collaborative approach, uniting diverse voices from across the industry—including labor, management, and government—to address challenges and foster continuous improvement. A significant focus is also placed on mental health and suicide prevention initiatives, recognizing the often-invisible struggles faced by workers. Learn how this dedication to “no harm done” is not just a mission, but a tangible reality, leading to a dramatic reduction in injury rates and a stronger, more resilient construction industry in Newfoundland and Labrador.

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Keywords: Construction Safety, Newfoundland and Labrador, NLCSA, Worker Well-being, CORE Certification, Site Safe, Mental Health Support, Workplace Safety, Accident Prevention, Industry Training, Safety Culture, Collaboration, Gale Force Wins.