U+One Luxury Condos Roof Top Gathering
As April weather finally gave way to sun, members of Ball Construction’s crew and management gathered on the newly completed roof of the U+One Luxury Condos to welcome dignitaries and keynote speaker Rob Ellis to talk about safety.
Starting with a lunch buffet downstairs, site workers and managers made their way to the roof of this impressive new eight-story condominium and were joined by the owners, staff of 1st On Campus Developers, various contractors and city representatives. The assembled crowd was privileged to hear about the safety initiatives between OGCA and MySafeWork and a hearty endorsement of the League of Champions.
Ball Construction President, Jason Ball, introduced Rob Ellis who then interviewed Suzanne Johnson and Cam Ball about the importance of championing safety as a part of Ball Construction’s culture.
Both Suzanne and Cameron emphasized how safety goes hand in hand with scheduling and budgeting at Ball—proudly noting that, once again, there were zero incidences on-site. Every Ball worker goes through site safety orientation to help identify and prevent any hazardous situations. As a COR-certified company, Ball encourages all trade contractors to take the same approach.
Rob proceeded to tell the story of the tragic loss of his then 18-year-old son Dave, who was killed on his second day on a job site over 17 years ago. After his talk, the workers signed the Jerseys of Courage to show their commitment to safety. Over 512,000 signatures have been collected across Canada—including Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne’s.
Also joining Jason at the microphone was Jaing Li, Director of 1st On Campus Developers and John Lam, Assistant General Manager, who offered greetings and gratitude for the hard work of the Ball team as the building nears completion this fall.
Sharing their support for this Spruce Street facility, was city councillor for Ward 6, Jeff Henry, along with Manager of Expansion & Retention Services, Ryan Mounsey. They explained that this is part of $3 billion worth of construction in Waterloo since 2010.
Further support was offered by Daniel Gueguen, President of Dordan Mechanical Inc., who also sits on the boards of Merit Ontario and PHCC. He encouraged all contractors to get on board with the League of Champions program.
Site Supervisor for Enertech Sheet Metal, Trent Baty, introduced Shadadi Mbuguje, who was on a job site for the first time as a trade apprentice. Shadadi enthusiastically commented on how Rob Ellis’ story touched him and impressed upon his mind—as do his supervisors—the importance of safety and proper training to spot potential problems before injuries occur.
“We’re proud of our partnership with the OGCA League of Champions safety Initiative and as the present chair of the association, I look forward to continuing to push all contractors to get on board for the protection and safety of our workers,” Jason Ball said as the proceedings concluded.
