Project Heavy Duty carries weight with students
Mount Baker students learn about heavy equipment operation and safety
Colourful career choices: MBSS students, along with mentors from WorkSafeBC and the City of Cranbrook public works department —Photo by Tanya Laing Gahr
How do you get 19 Grade 12 students to show up at 7 a.m. for a school program on a non-instructional day? Tempt them with heavy equipment such as backhoe loaders, dozers, graders and excavators.
WorkSafeBC in Cranbrook has partnered with Mount Baker Secondary School (MBSS) and the City of Cranbrook public works department—as well as local contractors and public utilities operators—for the City’s first Project Heavy Duty, a growing provincewide program that brings graduating high school students into the field to learn hands-on safety procedures and heavy equipment operation. Participants in the five-day course learn first aid and site safety from WorkSafeBC occupational safety officers before spending two days in a city work site. At that point, they receive one-on-one instruction from qualified operators of the heavy equipment.
Jeff McKay and Mary-Jaye Salmon, occupational safety officers with WorkSafeBC, said the program has been tremendously successful with students and public works employees.
“The students have all been really good about participating,” said Salmon. “The operators have been awesome and it’s been a really positive experience for everybody.”
Salmon said Project Heavy Duty started in Prince George in 2002, and the success of the program there has helped it spread to other B.C. communities. There are many possible learning outcomes from the program, such as instilling the students with a positive work attitude and interest in different careers as well as the opportunity to meet local business people and contractors and seek career guidance from those already employed in the field. And along the way, they learn the importance of workplace safety—a win/win all the way around.
Derrick Anderson, the trades manager for the City of Cranbrook, said the experience has been positive for the mentors in the field as well.
“A lot of the guys were saying they wish they had taken a program like this at school,” said Anderson.
MBSS students Jake Pachel, Zack Tiebs and Jimmy Lewis took part in the program and said they enjoyed it. The only drawback, as far as Lewis was concerned, was the length of time dedicated to Operation Heavy Duty.
“It wasn’t long enough,” said Lewis.
That seems to be a common feeling and McKay said WorkSafeBC is looking at the possibility of extending the program in the future.
And for nervous parents who fear that time on Nintendo or XBox has no positive benefits, Salmon mentioned that many video game experts showed a lot of skill handling the heavy equipment, which requires a deft touch and the ability to do several things at once. By the way, I got to try my hand at operating a backhoe and excavator—and I tip my hat to the students and their mentors who were out in the field who have far greater skill than I.
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Cranbrook, BC
Cranbrook, BC
Cranbrook, BC
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Cranbrook, BC
Cranbrook, BC
Cranbrook, BC
Cranbrook, BC
Cranbrook, BC
Cranbrook, BC
Phone: (250) 426-7146
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PHONE: 1-800-663-2872
Cranbrook, BC
Phone: (250) 426-7205
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Castlegar, BC
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Cranbrook, BC
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Cranbrook, BC
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Cranbrook, BC
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Cranbrook, BC
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Cranbrook, BC
Phone: (250) 426-4056
Key City Drywall Ltd. -
Cranbrook, BC
Phone: (250) 426-5460
Dueck Enterprises -
Cranbrook, BC
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Cranbrook, BC
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Cranbrook, BC
(250) 417-5550
All Seasons Landscape Contracting -
Cranbrook, BC
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Cranbrook, BC
Vital statistics
- Population :: 19,161
- Number of businesses :: 1,454
- Supporting industries :: Forestry, public sector, mining, manufacturing, tourism, trade, transportation, service
Vital contacts
- City of Cranbrook :: www.cranbrook.ca
- Mayor :: Scott Manjak
- Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce :: www.cranbrookchamber.com
- Manager :: Karin Penner
- Phone :: 1.800.222.6174
Biz Blog :: Keith Powell
A regular report on newsworthy business developments in the Kootenays.
Kootenay Insights :: Tanya Laing Gahr
An inside look at the initiatives and developments that help shape Kootenay communities.
At Work :: Sandra Albers
One-on-one with some of the Kootenay’s business leaders.
Biz Edge :: Danielle Cameron
The faces behind Kootenay businesses.
