407 ETR hits four million hours without a lost-time injury

407 ETR – the all-electronic open-access toll highway located in the Greater Toronto Area of southern Ontario – has recently reached what it calls a “significant employee safety record,” achieving four million hours without a lost-time injury.

According to highway officials, 407 ETR’s last recordable employee injury occurred in 2019.

In a news release, 407 ETR attributes its safety performance to “a strong safety culture both on and off the road.”

“407 ETR engages employees in safety through multiple initiatives including risk management, an active Joint Health & Safety Committee and ongoing training,” the release said. “[We] promote safe work practices and incident prevention by encouraging employees to report all unsafe conditions, near misses and incidents that occur, and by leveraging emerging technologies to improve safety where possible.”

“This year is our 25th anniversary and what better way to celebrate than by announcing four million hours without a lost-time injury,” said 407 ETR president and CEO Javier Tamargo. “We know that our workers are exposed to live traffic and hazards we’ll never be able to completely eliminate. We continue to do everything within our power to mitigate risks so our employees can return home safely to their families.”

407 ETR employs over 500 employees and completed 1,190 hours of corporate safety training in 2023. In May 2023, 407 ETR received the Recognition of Performance Achievement Milestone award from the IHSA (Infrastructure Health & Safety Association) for achieving more than 2.5 million hours without a lost-time injury, and ended the year with 3.7 million hours.

The highway spans 108 kilometres from Burlington in the west to Pickering in the east.