'That's when you see real change' says EllisDon safety director
Two days into her first safety job, Jacqueline Van Dongen gets a call no one wants to receive. A worker has suffered a serious injury on-site. She drives to meet the worker’s family, a moment that will stay with her forever.
“That really made it real,” she recalls. “It wasn’t just paperwork anymore. It was someone’s life. From that day forward, I knew safety had to be more than a checklist—it had to be about preventing these conversations from ever happening.”
Today, as corporate health, safety, and environmental director at EllisDon, Van Dongen leads the charge in shaping a culture where safety isn’t just a rule—it’s a responsibility shared by everyone on-site.
“I would say to women considering construction: put those hesitations aside,” she says. “The industry is more accepting than you think, and the possibilities are endless.”
A career that almost didn’t happen
Van Dongen never sets out to work in safety. With a degree in biology, she starts in claims management for a mechanical and electrical firm, handling WSIB cases on behalf of the employer.
“I kind of, like many people, happened on safety by happenstance,” she explains. “I took a maternity leave contract working in workers’ compensation claims, and that’s when I realized that safety was even an opportunity as a career.”
Her work leads her into auditing and program development, and over time, she sees how proactive safety policies can prevent injuries in the first place.
“I wasn’t looking to switch into project management or quality,” she says. “I saw the impact safety could have on both the organization and the workers, and I wanted to be part of that change.”
Changing the culture at EllisDon
When Van Dongen first joins EllisDon, safety feels like a standalone function, something separate from the rest of the business. But over the past decade, she sees a cultural shift—one where health and safety is becoming everyone’s priority.
“I’ve really seen a shift over the past five or six years,” she says. “It used to be about how many lost-time injuries there were. Now, leadership at all levels wants to know, ‘How do we improve as a company? How do we eliminate serious injuries?”
She credits senior leadership buy-in as a turning point. “You need buy-in from the CEO,” Van Dongen says. “When safety becomes a company-wide mandate, that’s when you see real change.”
Instead of pushing one-size-fits-all safety policies, EllisDon empowers project teams to identify their own safety gaps and develop solutions. “We allow our divisions to take ownership of safety in ways that work for them,” she explains.
Making construction more inclusive
While Van Dongen has had positive experiences as a woman in construction, she knows that’s not the case for everyone and recognizes the journey to inclusion is far from over. “The industry has come a long way, but there’s still work to do,” she says.
One challenge? PPE designed for women.
“A few years ago, EllisDon recognized the issue with safety vests not fitting different body types,” she explains. “We created the ‘Fit Your Frame’ vest, and the feedback has been amazing.”
She also believes early education is key to attracting more women to construction. “When I was in school, no one talked about construction as an option—especially for women,” she recalls. “That mindset needs to change.”
For Van Dongen, safety is more than compliance—it’s about ensuring workers go home at the end of the day. That moment from her first job, standing face-to-face with an injured worker’s family, continues to drive her today.
“Seeing the real impact of safety—helping people go home safe—makes this career incredibly rewarding.”
As Women in Construction Week unfolds, Van Dongen hopes more women will consider a future in the industry. “Construction isn’t going anywhere,” she says. “There’s so much opportunity. We just need to open the door and welcome more people in.”
