THUNDER BAY – On the job, Synergy North workers take every caution they can.
Working with electricity can be deadly if they don’t.
What they can’t control is the roadway and motorists who might not be paying as close attention to their driving as they should.
As a result Synergy north has re-launched its Hit the Brakes, Not Us campaign, an attempt to create awareness that people are working on or near roadways in Thunder Bay and throughout the region and urge drivers to slow down when traveling through work zones to protect workers on the job.
The campaign was first launched in 2009 under Thunder Bay Hydro, which later merged with Kenora Hydro to form Synergy North.
It was time for an update, said Amy Kembel, manager of safety training at the public utility.
“One of the things that hasn’t changed is that many of our employees are required to work on roadways as part of their jobs. Those roadways are shared with drivers. Working near traffic remains our No. 1 uncontrollable hazard,” Kembel said.
“So the purpose of launching this campaign is to educate the driving public about that fact, that the roads they drive on are also someone else’s workplace.”
Kembel said they’re asking motorists to pay attention to traffic-control signs, to slow down and stay focused and heed the direction of any roadside workers or flag people directing traffic in areas where work is taking place on or about the road.
“These are critical steps that can help to make sure every roadside worker goes home at the end of every workday,” Kembel said.
Synergy North’s fleet has been equipped with large new stickers with the Hit the Brakes, Not Us slogan, an effort to spread the message far and wide throughout the communities the company works in.”
