The Douglas MacMaster Memorial Occupational Health and Safety Award is designed to celebrate individual or team achievements by Government employees in the promotion and development of health and safety. The award honours the work of Doug MacMaster, a long serving employee of the Provincial Forestry program. Doug was a Forest Safety Supervisor who taught safety courses and made great strides to improve worker safety in our forest industry. Sadly, Doug passed away in 2004, and in his memory, we honour others who also make significant contributions to develop safer workplaces on PEI.
We are pleased to present this year’s award to the Department of Social Development and Seniors’ Workplace Violence Prevention Committee for Group Homes, co-chaired by Mike Gaudet and Gordon Burhoe.
This committee has shown exceptional leadership and dedication to enhancing workplace safety and staff well-being within group homes managed by Child and Family Services. Since 2023, they and the Department have implemented significant changes, including the creation of fifty-four new permanent positions, which have greatly enhanced job security and staff retention. They also collaborated with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure to manage group home maintenance, ensuring a safer environment for both staff and children. The committee has created a culture of open communication and incident reporting, resulting in better strategic planning and a notable reduction in violence-related incidents. They’ve increased staff morale and set a new standard for workplace safety in our community through their collaboration with the RCMP and their enhanced training initiatives which cover Dialectical Behavior Therapy, validation, de-escalation techniques, and suicide risk management.
Congratulations and thank you for your commitment to enhancing occupational health and safety!
L-R: Mike Gaudet, Wendell MacMaster, Premier Rob Lantz, Lynda MacMaster, Gordon Burhoe