Hydro-Québec Employee Health and Safety a Top Priority

December 19, 2017

Hydro-Québec has released a report by the consulting firm ERM, as well as a summarized action plan that the company will implement to continue improving its workplace health and safety record.

“We endorse ERM’s recommendations and we will follow up on them,” said Éric Martel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hydro-Québec. “We worked closely with ERM throughout the year and have already taken action. We have laid the foundations for real change in our workplace health and safety culture. Although there is still work to do, our goal is clear: we are aiming for zero serious or fatal accidents, and we will spare no effort to protect the people who work with Hydro-Québec, be they employees or contractors.”

“We are very satisfied with Hydro-Québec’s action plan to improve its workplace health and safety record and, with ERM’s recommendations, the company will be able to improve even further,” said Hélène V. Gagnon, corporate director and co-chair of the Special Committee on Workplace Health and Safety set up by the Hydro-Québec Board of Directors. “The Board of Directors will continue to monitor this issue closely. We want Hydro-Québec to become a reference in health and safety.”

A special committee established by the Board of Directors
In the days after the December 9, 2016, accident on the Romaine jobsite, Hydro-Québec’s Board of Directors set up a special committee to assess its current practices and ensure that the highest health and safety standards are met on its jobsites. On January 12, 2017, the committee tasked ERM with an independent, external examination of Hydro-Québec’s current practices.

Concrete actions
Hydro-Québec works together with workers, contractors, trade union partners and its own employees to ensure all parties are involved in the process. A great number of measures and solutions have been put in place to foster safer behaviors on the Romaine jobsite:

• Presence of health and safety change agents
• Daily start-of-shift meetings about health and safety
• Compulsory training for new workers on new health and safety standards
• Workshops on safety around heavy vehicles

A permanent commitment
“Every accident is one too many,” said Michael D. Penner, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hydro-Québec. “The Board of Directors has set up a permanent committee to continue to monitor the improvement of our workplace health and safety record. We affirm our commitment to continuing this process in collaboration with all stakeholders.”

For more information:

Hydro-Québec
514 289-5005