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We all know that safety is the most important
consideration in the construction industry.
Diversity and inclusion improve safety by
enabling input from different stakeholders. It
creates engagement among a larger group of
people – men and women, different ethnic
groups, crafts people, joint-venture partners,
trade workers and more. It allows people to
speak up in terms of unsafe behaviour. It facilitates
a caring culture, and it helps us to challenge
traditional or “macho” behaviours that
can have a negative impact on safety.
That clear and caring communication also
helps us to more quickly identify other issues
that can negatively impact safety, including issues
surrounding mental health. The “tough
guy” stigma makes it difficult to ask for help,
and a lack of inclusion makes it difficult to recognize
when help may be needed.
Cultural differences matter
Cultural context can impact safety at work,
from a basic understanding of the job and the
requirements to how a worker interacts with
his or her co-workers. New Canadians may
be accustomed to different standards of safety
or different procedures, and they may react
and adapt differently to various circumstances.
And of course, basic language differences create
a host of issues around understanding procedures
and instructions and communicating
safety concerns.
In an inclusive environment, employers learn
about these cultural differences and develop effective
strategies to integrate these workers into
the existing company culture, improving the
overall safety culture of the organization.
Gender differences matter
Gender differences – and specifically the
dominance of male culture in construction
– can also create safety challenges. One example
is around the availability and proper
fit of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Most safety equipment has been designed for
a largely male workforce and is not up to the
requirements of a modern workforce that includes
women.
This can cause several issues, as pointed
out in a study by the Industrial Accident
Prevention Association and the Ontario
Women’s Directorate:
“Ill-fitting PPE does not protect at all.
Moreover, it poses an unnecessary risk to the
health and safety of the women wearing it.”
Consider the example of a woman with a
small face wearing goggles that gap at her temples;
debris from her machine can enter her
eyes. Or a woman in a sawmill wearing men’ssized
gloves; the fingers are too long and too
wide, the palm area too large and the cuff allows
sawdust to fill the fingers. She risks getting
her fingers caught in machinery.
Expand market share with
supplier diversity
According to Supplier Diversity Canada, a report
by the Canadian Centre for Diversity and
Inclusion, “Supplier diversity is a business
practice that encourages the use of historically
under-represented businesses in a company’s
supply chain, including minority-owned,
women-owned, Aboriginal-owned, LGBTowned
and veteran-owned vendors.”
In looking to support the business case for
supplier diversity, the research identified a
number of important benefits the practice has
brought Canadian organizations, including:
• Increased competition among vendors,
leading to better pricing and more
innovative products and services
• Increased flexibility and just-in-time
delivery from vendors
• Building the most qualified supplier pool
• Reducing supply chain risk by engaging
multiple, capable suppliers
• Increased access to ethnic or diverse markets
• Meeting customer expectations for diversity
• Community relationship building and
building economic capacity and prosperity
in the community
• Building stakeholder relationships
and goodwill
• Increased brand recognition within the
community with improved public and
client relations
• Customization of products or services can
be easier with smaller, diverse vendors
• Improved employee engagement
In the construction industry, in particular,
community relations are critical. Working
with suppliers that reflect the diversity of a
company’s community and customer base is
good for business.
Enhance your
reputation, expand
your customer base
As our population becomes more diverse, so
too does the need to meet that diversity with
diversity – to effectively serve a diverse customer
base, you need a diverse team. If you
thinkbigmagazine.ca | Quarter 4 2020 | Think BIG 35
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