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Sudbury MPP says not enough apprentices being trained

City short 1,000 skilled tradespeople

By: Heidi Ulrichsen - Sudbury Northern Life Staff

Pictured left: Garfield Dunlop, the MPP for Simcoe North and the Progressive Conservatives' apprenticeship reform critic, along with Paula Peroni, the Progressive Conservatives' candidate in Nickel Belt in the last provincial election, went on a tour of Mansour Mining Technologies Inc. July 17. Photo by Heidi Ulrichsen.



Milad Mansour said he's a great believer in apprenticeship.

Right now, his Sudbury-based company, Mansour Mining Technologies Inc., is helping about 15 apprentices learn their trades through on-the-job training.

The trouble is there's such a shortage of skilled tradespeople in Greater Sudbury right now that the city's two large mining companies often “steal” his apprentices by offering them better pay and benefits, Mansour said.

In the long-term, the only thing that will solve this problem is to train more apprentices so the shortage doesn't exist, Mansour said.

Garfield Dunlop, the Progressive Conservative MPP for Simcoe North and the critic for apprenticeship reform, said he has a few ideas about how to end the skilled tradesperson shortage.

Along with Paula Peroni, the Progressive Conservatives' candidate in Nickel Belt in the last provincial election, Dunlop toured Mansour's business July 17. The MPP is visiting a number of communities this summer as he prepares to write a policy paper for his party on apprenticeship.

In Dunlop's opinion, the rules surrounding apprenticeships in Ontario is making the shortage of skilled tradespeople worse.

In most of the country, companies are allowed to have as many apprentices as they have skilled tradespeople. However, in Ontario, companies must have three skilled tradespeople for every apprentice they have, which limits the amount of people they can train.

“Right now, we're in the dark ages compared to the rest of the country,” Dunlop said, adding that he's been hearing complaints about the apprenticeship ratio system from businesspeople across the province.

This problem is even more pronounced in the Greater Sudbury area because of the boom in the mining industry, he said. Dunlop said he learned from Mayor Marianne Matichuk that the city is currently short about 1,000 skilled tradespeople......

 To read on.....

IRONWORKERS: STRUCTURAL STEEL 30 pg PDF on Safety

Contents
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Cold stress and heat stress
- Lead exposure
- Tools of the trade
- Site preparation and steel erection
- Safe access and fall protection
- Mobile welding rigs

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

Clothing: Many injuries can be prevented by choosing the right clothing. Don’t have cuffs on your pants or sleeves because they can get caught on something and cause you to fall. Cuffs can also catch sparks and cause a burn. Hearing protection: Hearing protection is a must for today’s ironworker. Hammering, reaming, and equipment all produce noise at levels that can harm your hearing. Wear appropriate hearing protection. It should filter out noise above 85 decibels but still allow you to communicate with your co-workers and hear any alarms or warnings. Reduce the risk of infection: Make sure that your hands are clean before using expanding foam hearing protection.

Eye protection: Wear proper eye protection when reaming drilling, grinding, burning, welding—or whenever hazards require it. The right eye protection can be different for different activities. For example, it’s common for ironworkers to perform activities such as gas cutting and stud welding. These activities would require the use of Class 2C goggles for radiation protection. It is also common for ironworkers to be grinding and cutting. These activities would require the use of a full face shield to reduce the risk of injury from flying objects and particles. At some jobsites, eye protection is mandatory. Always wear eye protection as required. For further information, refer to the chapter on PPE in this manual for a list of activities with recommended eye and face protection.

Skin protection: Ironworkers must protect their skin against burns from hot metal, ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, welding radiation, and other hazards. Skin protection includes
• clothing that is flame-resistant and provides UV protection
• long sleeved shirts
• full-length pants
• leather-faced gloves
• sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher.
 
Leather-faced gloves provide protection from hot steel and resistance to abrasion.

Head protection: A hard hat complying with the Construction Regulation (Ontario Regulation 213/91) is required on construction projects at all times. A CSA Type 2 Class E or equivalent hat with chinstrap is recommended because ironworkers

• work at elevations in windy conditions
• have increased risk of a lateral impact due to the specific nature of their work.

Please note that hard hats must be worn with the brim forward unless the hat has been tested and the manufacturer confirms that it can be worn with the brim pointing backwards. (The hard hat will have an embossed symbol indicating that it has been certified as safe to be worn backwards.)

Foot protection: Workers must wear CSA certified Grade 1 boots. Boots should also be resistant to electric shock (certified by a white label with the Greek letter omega Ω). Ironworkers should wear boots with slip resistant soles because of the time spent walking on smooth beams.

Hand protection: Gloves are an essential part of everyday PPE. Select your gloves based on site conditions such as temperature, the work being performed, the chance of getting cuts and abrasions, and the dexterity required.

For more information, see the chapter on PPE in this manual.

Click here to download a copy of the 30 page Structural Steel safety manual PDF

Footwear Safety - Be aware

FOOT PROTECTION

Ankle injuries represent 65 per cent of all foot injuries in Ontario construction. Properly worn, a CSA-certified Grade 1 workboot meets the requirements of the current construction regulation (O. Reg. 213/91) and helps protect against ankle and other injuries.

One of three CSA grades, Grade 1 offers the highest protection and is the only one allowed in construction. In a Grade 1 boot, a steel toe protects against falling objects while a steel insole prevents punctures to the bottom of the foot.

Grade 1 boots can be identified by

• a green triangular patch imprinted with the CSA logo on the outside of the boot and
• a green label indicating Grade 1 protection on the inside of the boot.

 Grade 1 boots are also available with metatarsal and dielectric protection. A white label with the Greek letter Omega in orange indicates protection against electric shock under dry conditions.

Selection and Fit
Grade 1 boots are available in various styles and sole materials for different types of work. For example, Grade 1 rubber boots may be better suited than leather boots for sewer and watermain or concrete work.

Boots should provide ample “toe room” (toes about 1/2 inch back from the front of steel box toe cap when standing with boots laced).

When fitting boots, allow for heavy work socks. If extra sock liners or special arch supports are to be worn in the boots, insert these when fitting boots.

Care and Use
Lacing boots military style permits rapid removal. In an emergency, the surface lace points can be cut, quickly releasing the boot.

In winter, feet can be kept warm by wearing a pair of light socks covered by a pair of wool socks. Feet should be checked periodically for frostbite.

Use high-cut (260 mm or 9 in) or medium-cut (150 mm or 6 in) CSA Grade 1 workboots. The higher cut helps support the ankle and provides protection from cuts or punctures to the ankle.

click here to download PDF

College of Trades moving forward

From the Toronto Star July 11,2012
 Louise Brown
Education Reporter

Ontario trades get own regulatory college

Chris So/The Toronto Star Ron Johnson, chair of the board of directors at the new Ontario College of Trades, stands in the main training hall where students will learn drywalling. The training facility is run with the input of unions and contractors.

They’re the people who make a living at Ontario’s 157 skilled trades: carpenters and plumbers and hairdressers and chefs and the folks who run the construction cranes that are changing Toronto’s skyline.
And Ontario is the first place in North America — maybe beyond — to give them their own fancy regulatory college so they can govern and police their own, just like doctors and teachers and lawyers do.
But even before it opens in January 2013, the Ontario College of Trades has drawn fire from some workers who call its coming fees nothing short of a tax on trades. College officials argue the trades need an independent body to serve as quarterback in tackling Ontario’s urgent skills shortage.
read whole article...

Protecting Outdoor Workers from Tick Bites and Lyme Disease

What is the Health Hazard?

Blacklegged ticks that can transmit Lyme disease are in Ontario, and in more areas than previously thought. Workers who work in certain outdoor areas are at risk for tick bites and developing Lyme disease, and should protect themselves.

What is Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease is an infection caused by a bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi. In Ontario only bites by the blacklegged ticks (formerly called deer ticks) can spread the disease. Not all blacklegged ticks are infected with the bacteria. These ticks are more commonly found in wooded areas or tall grasslands... Read on

Super Late Models and Pro Challenge cars at Sunset

Our team has raced for years at Sunset.  This is the first time on the new track on the same day as the Super Late Models.  They are the fastest Outlaw race cars around.  They also happen to run the same Hoosier race tire compound that we do in Pro Challenge.  This made for some extremely fast times on the track.  In fact we were only 3/10ths of a second off the Supers lap times.  We had a good heat race and finished second, gaining 2 more points of the leader.  Then in the feature, we wasted no time moving up.  Every car was almost identical, regardless of the racing line chosen on the track.  Passing inside and then outside we found ourselves about 8 cars lengths back of the top 2 cars.  We started to reel them in and then a caution came out for a spinning car.  This set up a 8 lap race to the end.  It took 3 laps to pass the second place car and start going after the leader.  Congarts to the #20 team on their first win.  We tried hard, but came up 1 spot out of first.
Up next is our home track Flamboro.

Back to the beach

Sunshine and very warm temps greeted us at Sauble Beach this year. There were no waves to be seen in the water, but there were plenty of waves being made at the racetrack. The track was super slippery and was throwing curve balls at every race team. The standard setups would not work and our team worked hard to get a good balance. During the heat races a cool breeze came through and changed the track again. This time for the better. The top running cars were lifting the left front tire off the ground while accelerating out of the corners. It was a real cool feeling with the left front of the car lifting off the track. The races went well, and we are starting to pick away at the points lead. Third in the feature after 30 laps. The car is running fast and looking good for the big race at Sunset.