Trade standards important for safety according to Canadians

Canadian Welding Bureau survey shows overwhelming support for trade standards

TORONTO, March 19, 2013 /CNW/ - When it comes to safety, Canadians trust expert industry approval. According to a recent survey commissioned by the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB), 97 per cent of Canadians agree that construction work, including welding contractors and steel fabricators, should be overseen by a national organization and held to a common Canadian standard.

CWB is the regulator of welding professionals and companies throughout Canada, and works to ensure that each project involving welding is completed and overseen by certified and accredited professionals.

Craig Martin, Vice President of Public Safety at CWB, said, "Since founding CWB in 1947, Canadians have taken a position of leadership in the global welding industry and developed one of the first welding certification standards to ensure that the welding process provided consistent and high quality results. We are a standard Canadians should be proud of."

But there is a contradiction amongst survey recipients. When asked to rank importance of features when it comes to keeping Canadian buildings, bridges and other key infrastructure, such as pipelines safe - design comes out on top (39 per cent ranking it as important) while certified tradespeople comes out near the bottom (13 per cent ranking this as important). Quality of materials comes in second (26 per cent) and regular inspection third (21 per cent).

"Most people assume that if a bridge or building is designed to meet the standards it is being built to those standards," continues Martin. "Unfortunately that is not always the case. Industry needs to continue to enforce those standards from design through to building and maintenance."

When considering the safety of a product, nearly all Canadians feel that expert industry approval is important, and three in four (76 per cent) view it as very important. Almost half of us consider products made in Canada to be safer than those made elsewhere (44 per cent).

"Welding is all around us, so being able to count on an industry standard should be important to all Canadians," said Martin.

CWB's certification programs have expanded beyond the welding of steel to offer programs for aluminum welding, resistance welding, welding electrodes and welding inspectors, among others. In all cases, the programs are based on standards produced by the Canadian Standards Association.

For more information on CWB or to find out how to become certified, visit Eng.CWBGroup.org.

About the Survey:
As part of a national online omnibus survey, Canadian residents were asked a series of questions regarding the safety of products and infrastructure, accreditation for internationally trained workers, and the need for national oversight and standards.

Surveys were conducted with 1,017 residents over the age of 18. Sample quotas were set and the data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional, age and gender composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 2011 Census.

The survey took place from November 26 to 30, 2012.

About CWB Group:
The CWB Group is a not-for-profit organization that is nationally responsible for the certification of welding companies and qualification of welders, ensuring Canadian code and standard compliance, and best practices are met by all welding establishments and educational institutions across Canada. For over 65 years, the CWB has been at the forefront of maintaining public safety while administering various CSA standards, certified welding companies, consumables and qualified welders. With offices in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, the CWB's team of 180 staff provide services from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland.

SOURCE: The Canadian Welding Bureau

To arrange an interview with a representative please contact:

Melody Gaukel
Environics Communications
416-969-2704
[email protected]

Teresa Pagnutti
Environics Communications
416-969-2721
[email protected]