Hart-Well Electrical Company Ltd

Poor. I was working for this company all the j/m and apprentices were working in extremely hot conditions at the St Clair west TTC station. From the start of the heat wave in June the foreman was argumentative with anyone who would take a few minutes to have a drink of water which the company supplied while getting much needed fresh air. i was repeatedly confronted by this f/m about wasting time going for unscheduled breaks. The supervision who attended the site agreed the conditions warranted the additional short breaks as each person responds to environmental conditions differently. At one point I became disoriented and unable to do a simple equation (10" X 1.4). When I asked and then demanded that I be taken to a doctor because I was in distress. The foreman's response was to throw his hands in the air and storm off leaving me with Victor my co-worker who got me to the upper level and then was taken directly to the hospital. It took the staff there some time to stabilize me and kept me under observation for approx 7 hrs. It was established that I had a severe case of heat stress and left unattended could have resulted in damage to my body. What causes concern is that this clearly incompetent individual was still in the position as foreman. I'm sure the Ministry of Labour will be able to make sure the penalty for this gross negligence will be such that Hartwell will think twice about having this particular individual be in charge of any more of their employees. I certainly wouldn't trust him to lead anyone I cared about or even a total stranger. I will end with the request that anyone who reads this make themselves familiar with all regulations and laws that govern our workplaces. As an employee and especially a Supervisor. The responsibility you owe your self and others demands a person be competent before they are put in a position of authority. Work Safe and Go Home Safe to your family and friends. Not to the hospital or worse. Regards Wesley Mark Savage IBEW 353 Brother for 30+ years.
8 years ago (14-12-2016)