John Digman,
Board Chair
In 2021, Your ACSA’s Board of Directors developed and approved a new strategic plan, Impact 2030: Deepening Our Impact in the Construction Sector (Impact 2030).
Guided by our vision, Lives lived safely, ACSA’s strategic plan directs our energy, resources and creativity to deepen our influence in the construction sector. At its core, the strategic plan charts how we can help the thousands of Albertans employed in the construction trades make it home safely every day.
As our blueprint for the next decade, we called the strategic plan Impact 2030 because this is a time to focus and build new foundations. A time to ignite new ideas and approaches. We will strengthen our commitment and efforts to work at the root causes of what drives construction workplace safety.
It is a time to lead the sector and bring together industry’s thought leaders and innovators.
The strategic plan focuses on four strategic priorities:
- stakeholder-focus – ensure our product offerings and approach adequately serve the unique needs, concerns and interests of the construction industry;
- enhanced member service – consult comprehensively with our stakeholders and prioritize helpfulness, inclusivity and accessibility to drive improved construction safety outcomes;
- data-informed investments and action – to improve safety outcomes we will seek, analyze, understand and incorporate customer, market and industry data into the product development and management processes; and
- safety culture leadership – inspire and drive industry-wide attention to, and investment in, workplace safety and the adoption of safety as a core value across the construction sector.
To help achieve our strategic priorities, ACSA’s leadership Team completed a three-year operational plan. Key performance indicators will help the Board measure and monitor the impact of its strategic priorities.
As part of our stakeholder focus, the Board agreed we should continue to offer the Construction Safety Training System (CSTS) 2020 courses free of charge to industry. This decision, and the quality of the program itself, will help set the foundations for workplace safety for years to come. Since CSTS 2020 launched in September 2019, more than 800,000 registrations have been made, illustrating its widespread adoption across Canada and internationally.
As ACSA Board Chair, I am pleased to report on the excellent working relationship between ACSA and the Alberta Construction Association (ACA). The ACA and ACSA are vital partners in construction safety. The two associations work together on a vast number of initiatives, including the Physical Demands Assessment project and visioning a new approach for safety standards for unregulated occupations and tasks.
Like all of us, the construction industry’s health and safety leaders grapple with heightened health and safety issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. With labour shortages looming as baby boomers retire, training and services provided by ACSA work to ensure contractors can bring new hires into rewarding careers safely and for the long term.
ACSA certification programs and safety designations provide the concrete advantage to contractors in competitive bidding and the effect of safety on the bottom line.
I would like to thank the people who supported my work as Board Chair this past year. My predecessor, Brad Bent, has made himself available to lend his knowledge and experience. Ryan Hawley, Governance and HR Chair, and Justin Cote, Finance and Risk Chair, work tirelessly to ensure good governance and report back to the Board on key issues. To my fellow Board members, thank you for your expertise and input. Your time is valuable and the work you do for the ACSA is exceptional.
To CEO, Dan MacLennan, and the steadfast ACSA staff, we appreciate the fantastic job you have done in maintaining continuity for the organization during these challenging times. For your resolve to continually position ACSA as a leader in workplace safety throughout the construction industry — thank you.
I have a long and proud history with ACSA and I am confident that the organization is well-placed to fulfill its vision of Lives lived safely.
John Digman, Board Chair
