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See something, say something. Don’t walk by.

No matter how it’s said, when it comes to safety on the jobsite the message is the same.

“If you see something wrong, fix it. Say something. Don’t wait until it’s too late to do anything about it,” says Craig Lesurf, president of . “Once someone is hurt, you can’t unhurt them. Once someone is dead, you can’t bring them back.”

Such is the reason why this year’s Safety Week theme is

Running from today (May 5) to May 9, the week represents a collective dedication to safety, ensuring every team member is supported, not just throughout the week, but every day.

Lesurf, who wears many hats as a founder of the and chair of the , will be hosting a road show of sorts at Gillam jobsites in the Greater Toronto Area, Waterloo and Barrie throughout the week.

During the events, which will include both OGCA and LOC representatives, there will be food or refreshments, stretch and flex exercises, toolbox talks, presentations, demonstrations, contests, competitions and guest speakers. But most importantly, says Lesurf, there will be a chance to hit home the safety message to boots-on-the-ground workers.

“Sometimes you’ve got to go out and say it in front of everybody to show you care. Management is doing their part but now we have to get workers to realize that they have their own destiny in their hands,” he says. “Choice is a big part. They need to plan their work. They need to own it and then they need to commit to being safe. People make mistakes, but you want to make sure it’s not a serious mistake you can’t recover from.”

Lesurf has been involved in various safety initiatives for many years and states he’s seen buy-in from the industry increase substantially.

“Safety does cost money but, in the end, it saves money. Everybody has come to the realization that you can’t shortcut safety. Doing it right the first time is very important,” he explains.

“You get more buy-in now then you ever did. When I started in this industry, everyone kept it close to their vest. We didn’t talk about safety. Now we talk about safety. It’s first and foremost. Now you can get the best of everybody’s system and make it yours. It is the greater good.”

Lesurf also highlighted the importance of speaking up about safety for future generations.

“I want to elevate our industry. I don’t like it that parents say, ‘oh don’t go into construction, it’s not a safe industry. My son’s in the industry, why would I not want it to be safe?” he adds. “Things will happen, but we can minimize it. If we fixed the main things, which are falls and struck-bys, we would probably have 80-plus per cent of our issues solved.”

More than anything else, Lesurf wants all workers to realize: “Nothing you do on this site today will be as important as going home safely to your family and loved ones.”

For more resources on Safety Week and