“It takes a village to raise a child,” proclaimed Jessica DiSabatino, Vice President of worker safety organization My Safe Work. This ancient African proverb was featured in an address to students from the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) who were completing their Level 1 apprenticeship schooling at the College of Carpenters and Allied Trades (CCAT) in late April. Kicking off 2018’s “Creating a Culture of Health & Safety at Work,” the annual seminar speaks to the importance of worker safety, and helps to imprint a deep awareness of workplace safety among Ontario’s future builders.
DiSabatino passed the mic Mike Yorke, Carpenters Union Local 27 President, who served as the master of ceremonies for the event. After thanking contractor partners, Yorke took time to address the assembled students, reminding them that they “are embarking on a career that is incredible” but stressed that the union wants to ensure that they are “working in the safest conditions possible” and that new builders entering the industry know their rights in the workplace.