Oakville Hydro Receives the David Ellis Safety Award

June 20, 2016

Oakville Hydro has been named the recipient of the first annual David Ellis Award by MySafeWork.

The award honours a company that has demonstrated leadership and commitment in providing a safe workplace by encouraging worker participation and communication at all levels.

The presentation took place at Safety Talks 2016: A Lunch to Celebrate and Advance Worker Participation, hosted by eCompliance and held in Toronto. Shown in the photo, L-R: Josh LeBrun, President and COO, eCompliance; Peter Michaud, Director of Health, Safety and Environment, Oakville Hydro; Rob Ellis, President, MySafeWork.

“It means so much to Oakville Hydro to receive this award,” says Rob Lister, President and CEO of Oakville Hydro. “Safety is our top priority, and our company in partnership with MySafeWork has spread the importance of youth workplace safety throughout the years to our community and schools. We will continue to dedicate our time and strive to ensure that all of our employees make it home safely each and every day.”

David Ellis, age 18, was killed in a workplace incident on his second day on the job. He had been given limited training and no supervision. After David’s death, his father Rob Ellis started MySafeWork, a not-for-profit organization and registered charity.

“Had my son, David, had the proper training, supervision or worked at a company where he was encouraged to speak up about unsafe worker conditions, he would still be here today,” says Rob Ellis, founder of MySafeWork and Jersey of Courage.

“Our goal is to inspire companies to achieve greatness in safety culture. We want to see more companies respecting and protecting their workers like Oakville Hydro does.” 

Oakville Hydro delivers electricity to more than 68,000 customers in Oakville, Ontario. The company maintains an active commitment to conservation and safety, and is strongly invested in the social and economic well-being of the Oakville community.

Oakville Hydro received the 2015 Performance Excellence Award from the Electricity Distributors Association (EDA), recognizing the organization as an exceptional leader in the industry. In 2013, Oakville Hydro was recognized as “Large Company of the Year” by the Ontario Energy Association in service delivery and safety.

MySafeWork is a non-profit organization committed to improving workplace safety. Its mission is to prevent workers from getting injured and killed at work. Since 1999, they’ve reached millions of people with this simple message: don’t work for a company that doesn’t respect you. MySafeWork wants to inspire companies to achieve greatness in safety culture.

MySafeWork is also the driving force behind Jersey of Courage, a social media campaign created to engage employees and students across the country. For more information, visit: www.mysafework.com.