Roy A. Phinnemore Award

Inspired by Roy A. Phinnemore’s achievements, former CSAO director Oliver J. Gaffney established a fund to recognize similar contributions to prevention. Gaffney’s donation was matched by Phinnemore’s son and daughter—Robert and Margaret—and the Roy A. Phinnemore Award was established in 1969.

This award is the foremost award given by the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) to Ontario’s construction industry. The winner is acknowledged with a commemorative plaque presented each year at IHSA’s Annual General Meeting.

2024 Winner: Glen Drewes
Glen was a passionate health and safety advocate throughout his more than threedecade career—first as a licensed construction and maintenance electrician, then in his work with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 402 and IBEW Construction Council of Ontario. An esteemed member of many committees, Glen was instrumental in advocating for legislative changes that reduced the risks workers are exposed to on construction projects. Those groups included the Provincial Labour-Management Health and Safety Committee, Construction Legislative Review Committee, and various trade/sector and regional committees of the Labour-Management Network. He also served on IHSA’s Board of Directors.

The Gil Samson Award

Inspired by Gil Samson’s contribution to accident prevention, a donor established a fund to honour Samson and to recognize similar contributions towards accident prevention made by a Labour-Management Health and Safety Committee.

The award is in the form of a suitable plaque or citation to each member of the winning committee. The award is presented each year at IHSA’s Annual General Meeting.

2024 Winner: Ottawa Regional Labour-Management Health and Safety Committee
The committee collaborated with industry partners to expand its reach and raise awareness of key workplace hazards. Its members provided locations, staff, and equipment to support the creation of 14 video safety talks on struck-by and fall hazards—which have been seen by thousands of viewers on IHSA’s YouTube channel. They also worked with the City of Ottawa to address heavy equipment blind spots in relation to vulnerable road users. Focusing on another key aspect of workplace health and safety, the Committee hosted a mental health event to reduce stigma and build resilience in the workplace and helped those in the Ottawa region to better understand the opioid crisis in the trades and the lifesaving medication naloxone.

Ken Hellawell Transportation Safety Award

The Ken Hellawell Transportation Safety Award was established to recognize contributions made by an individual or group that is active or retired from the Ontario transportation industry and exhibits extraordinary leadership, initiative, creativity, and innovation towards the advancement of health and safety.

The award is presented annually to a qualified individual or group who have diligently served the cause of transportation health and safety through services, contributions, inventions, procedures, or in any manner considered by the judging committee as being worthy of recognition.

2024 Winner: Tara Whiteman
Tara’s journey from a professional—and collision-free—driver to Safety and Compliance Manager at Kriska Holdings Ltd. exemplifies her commitment to excellence and leadership in the transportation industry. Throughout her career, spanning more than 25 years, Tara’s efforts have successfully improved accident prevention, driver training, and many other areas of Kriska’s operations, helping the company earn recognition as one of the safest trucking firms in Canada. A collaborative, communicative leader, she continues to make sure safety is a top priority across all departments—and among the professional drivers with whom she regularly works.

Maria (Filice) Mason Award of Excellence

Maria (Filice) Mason started her career in the construction sector as a residential framer. She became passionate about occupational health and safety and devoted her career to preventing workplace injuries and fatalities. She obtained her Construction Health and Safety Officer (CHSO) certificate, Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) designation, and completed the Occupational Health and Safety Program at Metropolitan Toronto University (formerly Ryerson).

2024 Winner: Tracey Mooradian
Tracey has spent more than 20 years advancing health and safety as both a tradesperson and a manager of complex infrastructure projects. Her collaborative spirit and dedication to mentorship inspire her colleagues, while her tireless advocacy has driven continuous improvement in areas like workplace mental health, addiction awareness, and violence prevention. The award also recognizes Tracey’s leadership and contributions to many groups, including the Provincial Labour-Management Health and Safety Committee, Ontario General Contractors Association Safety Advisory Committee, Carpenters Trade Committee of the Labour-Management Network, and the League of Champions.

IHSA Recognition of Performance Achievement Milestone Award

This award program recognizes IHSA member firms that have achieved a specific number of work hours (based on their firm size) without a lost-time injury (LTI). Formerly known as The President’s Award, the name and criteria for this award program has been changed to account for the new firm size requirement. Employers can apply for this award when they have reached the milestone listed below for their firm size.

IHSA COR^® Excellence and Milestone Award

This new award program has the same criteria as the IHSA Recognition of Performance Achievement Milestone, except that it is only open to IHSA member firms that have achieved and maintained their Certificate of Recognition (COR^®). COR^® is a national standard for recognizing a well-functioning health and safety management system.

Safe Worker Award

IHSA’s Safe Worker Award program gives employers the opportunity to recognize their employees’ health and safety performance. Our Safe Worker pins are available for each year that an employee has worked without a compensable incident—up to 50 years.

Safe Driver Award

IHSA’s Safe Driver Award program gives employers the opportunity to recognize their employees’ health and safety performance. Our Safe Driver pins are available for each year that an employee has worked without a motor vehicle incident (MVI)—up to 50 years.