In Case of Emergency

As much as we might not like to admit it, disasters happen. And much like the provinces mentioned above, Ontario isn’t immune to perils – need I remind you of the tornado that struck Vaughan in 2009? In response to these recent calamities, John Saunders, the Canadian Red Cross’s provincial director of disaster management for Ontario, provides advice on how to best prepare for Canadian disasters and emergencies.

“What we encourage people to do, first of all, is identify what the greatest risk that they are facing is,” says Saunders, who explains that in Ontario, this includes severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, flooding, snow and ice storms. Next, plan to meet in the safest place in your home. If a hurricane, tornado or severe blizzard hits, Saunders notes, “That would usually be as low as you can go, against the strongest wall, and away from any windows.” Read more

Workplace Safety: Better Safe than Sorry

A man working on the rooftop of a building is performing a site inspection. Since the procedure is routine and brief, he decides to bypass the safety harness. One misstep later and he becomes the middleman between a 25ft. rooftop and the ground. The man is no longer able to work – but that’s the happy version of a story that could have had a fatal ending.

This is just one of the unfortunate real-life scenarios that Roberto Desai, owner of Advance Safety World Limited, has the displeasure of hearing on a daily basis. “There are a lot of workplace injuries that take place every single day that can be avoided; you just have to know what could happen to a person and try to prevent it,” says Desai. Read more