![\"Sobi](\"https:\/\/www.on-sitemag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_3713.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nSobi Ragunathan, CEO of 4S, and Walid Abou-Hamde, CEO of the Ontario Road Builders\u2019 Association, discuss the Ontario Infrastructure Academy and other safety initiatives within the construction sector. (Photo courtesy of ORBA)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In May, occupational health and safety service provider 4S Consulting Services hosted an event in Markham, Ont., bringing together industry and government leaders to discuss what safer, smarter construction looks like in 2025.<\/p>\n
Tagged as \u201cA Day of Safety Excellence and Innovation,\u201d sessions at the summit explored safety trends and issues, hands-on workshops, and recognition of safety leaders and innovators. Speakers included Ontario\u2019s Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, David Piccini, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board CEO Jeff Lang, Andrew Pariser, vice-president of the Residential Construction Council of Ontario, and Walid Abou-Hamde, CEO of the Ontario Road Builders\u2019 Association (ORBA), among others.<\/p>\n
A fireside chat session with Abou-Hamde and Sobi Ragunathan, CEO of 4S, dove into the urgent labour shortage in Ontario\u2019s infrastructure sector, exploring how associations like ORBA are stepping up to equip the next generation of skilled workers.<\/p>\n
\u201cHealth and safety isn\u2019t just policy, it\u2019s culture,\u201d stated Abou-Hamde. \u201cYou can have all the rules in place, but if the culture doesn\u2019t support it, it won\u2019t last. At ORBA, safety is a core value that guides everything we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
He spoke about the Ontario Infrastructure Academy (OIA), which is launching soon. OIA is a new initiative building on ORBA\u2019s existing training programs and aiming to deliver modular, safety-embedded education to help move recruits from sign-up to site-ready in a matter of weeks, with training that will be recognized across the industry, he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to offer young people, especially students, a clear answer to, \u2018Okay, I\u2019m interested in infrastructure, but what\u2019s next?\u2019 That\u2019s exactly what the Ontario Infrastructure Academy is built to answer,\u201d said Abou-Hamde.<\/p>\n
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