B.C. Hydro will keep the lights on during the 2010 Olympic
and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver by tapping into its clean hydro
electric grid system unlike previous winter Olympics where diesel generators supplied
most of the power.
During the construction phase of the infrastructure required for the Winter Games, B.C. Hydro workers will continue to treat safety as their number one priority.
“We cannot work on anything unless we consider our safety practice regulations,” says B.C. Hydro’s Neil Sharpe, general manager, operations, 2010 Olympic Initiative.
B.C. Hydro workers are typically scheduled for seven days of safety training each year which includes a review of the safety practice regulations as well training in areas such as fall arrest.
Staff will undergo technical training for the Games which is more related to work methods than specifically related to safety. But most of the equipment and infrastructure to be installed for the Games is “within the type of system that we have today so all the training we do—fall arrest training, working in confined spaces, working in an underground system—that’s all within our training development programs (and will apply),” explains Sharpe.
B.C. Hydro will have approximately 70 trades and field workers on site daily during the Games.
“The events making up the Games run at different times of the day and our staff will be working different hours but not anything that would compromise their safe work performance,” says Sharpe. “Within our collective agreement and within our safe work programs we don’t work our employees any longer than a 16-hour shift.”
A major concern of any modern day Olympics is security, and security training for B.C. Hydro staff will focus on how they will interact with the military, fire and police and with ambulance crews in the event of a situation.
“The integrated security unit that is looking after the Olympics is working with critical infrastructure providers like B.C. Hydro to determine what the needs are going to be in terms of security training,” says Ann English, director, 2010 Olympic Initiative. “Potential scenarios and contingency planning all those kinds of thing (are being considered) but it’s still early days yet.”
In an emergency, whether security related or as a result of some other cause, B.C. Hydro staff will be guided by their safety practice regulations.
“For example, if there is a fire, we depend on the other agencies to deem the location safe before we’ll proceed in,” says Sharpe. “We do not put our people in harm’s way.”
B.C. Hydro will judge the 2010 Winter Games to be a success if the following condition is met.
“That nothing happens and that our work crews at the various venues are going to be twiddling their thumbs,” says Sharpe.
During the construction phase of the infrastructure required for the Winter Games, B.C. Hydro workers will continue to treat safety as their number one priority.
“We cannot work on anything unless we consider our safety practice regulations,” says B.C. Hydro’s Neil Sharpe, general manager, operations, 2010 Olympic Initiative.
B.C. Hydro workers are typically scheduled for seven days of safety training each year which includes a review of the safety practice regulations as well training in areas such as fall arrest.
Staff will undergo technical training for the Games which is more related to work methods than specifically related to safety. But most of the equipment and infrastructure to be installed for the Games is “within the type of system that we have today so all the training we do—fall arrest training, working in confined spaces, working in an underground system—that’s all within our training development programs (and will apply),” explains Sharpe.
B.C. Hydro will have approximately 70 trades and field workers on site daily during the Games.
“The events making up the Games run at different times of the day and our staff will be working different hours but not anything that would compromise their safe work performance,” says Sharpe. “Within our collective agreement and within our safe work programs we don’t work our employees any longer than a 16-hour shift.”
A major concern of any modern day Olympics is security, and security training for B.C. Hydro staff will focus on how they will interact with the military, fire and police and with ambulance crews in the event of a situation.
“The integrated security unit that is looking after the Olympics is working with critical infrastructure providers like B.C. Hydro to determine what the needs are going to be in terms of security training,” says Ann English, director, 2010 Olympic Initiative. “Potential scenarios and contingency planning all those kinds of thing (are being considered) but it’s still early days yet.”
In an emergency, whether security related or as a result of some other cause, B.C. Hydro staff will be guided by their safety practice regulations.
“For example, if there is a fire, we depend on the other agencies to deem the location safe before we’ll proceed in,” says Sharpe. “We do not put our people in harm’s way.”
B.C. Hydro will judge the 2010 Winter Games to be a success if the following condition is met.
“That nothing happens and that our work crews at the various venues are going to be twiddling their thumbs,” says Sharpe.
