Originally published in the National Post on Nov. 18, 2024.
TELUS is a leader in workplace safety, both for clients and its own employees. Operating in Calgary out of the landmark TELUS Sky building, the technology company provides world leading, innovative solutions to business clients and other organizations around the world, while also implementing them across its own operations to promote worker safety and well-being.
“During the wildfires in Jasper, for example, we used our own Connected Worker solutions for our field workers to keep them safe,” says Jodi Baxter, vice-president of 5G and industry solutions at TELUS, referring to the devastating wildfire in the Alberta-based National Park.
“They were going into very dangerous situations to keep network connectivity going because the ability to have communications in Jasper during the fires was extremely important to the ongoing firefighting and rescue efforts.”
TELUS technicians — often working alone in the field — were supported by Connected Worker technology provided by Calgary based partner Aware360. The technology keeps technicians safe and connected through two-way communication, real-time monitoring, check-in alerts and 24/7 assistance, no matter their location.
Aware360 is one of TELUS’ emerging solutions for workplace safety, Baxter says.
“Their focus is really on the lone worker, who is often the most at-risk worker.” But TELUS’ emphasis on workplace health and safety, using new technologies to keep workers healthy and safe, goes beyond lone individuals working in dangerous environments.
“We’re really passionate about using our world-leading network and technology capabilities to empower businesses to thrive in a digital world.” Baxter notes that workplace safety and well-being are critical to that.
“An overarching goal for us at TELUS is to help create the healthiest workplaces on the planet.” Lives are at stake, after all. Canada sees more than 1,000 worker fatalities annually and more than 250,000 claims for work-related injuries and illness, according to 2021 data from the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada.
Given the human toll, TELUS has been on a mission to continuously adopt new technologies for its own workers — whether that’s fleet telematics to ensure employees on the road are as safe as possible, or providing virtual health services so workers come to the workplace feeling good.
“Our work with our own teams gives us a deep understanding of how our customers can use these to the benefit of their workers,” Baxter adds.
These efforts also allow the company to explore synergies between existing services at TELUS and new innovations. She points to TELUS Health as one example. Health solutions like Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) were implemented for TELUS’ own employees to promote mental health, well-being and work-life balance, and are now widely available to its business customers.
TELUS Health Virtual Care has also become even more effective with TELUS’ continued expansion of 5G and fibre-optic networks across Alberta and Canada.
“Our focus is not just about promoting physical health; workers’ overall wellbeing, including emotional, is our goal,” Baxter says.
The impact of these technologies, especially the Connected Worker initiative, are making workers safer and more resilient across many industries — from oil and gas to mining, agriculture, health care and manufacturing. Expect more innovation from TELUS on this front in the near future, such as tooling powered by artificial intelligence to detect unsafe environments before a worker is at risk.
Although worker safety and well-being are paramount, TELUS’ innovation in this space has economic benefits, too, for its own operations and for its customers.
“Healthy workers drive productivity, and it lets businesses focus on core operations,” Baxter says. “It’s a paradigm that fosters growth, creating more jobs, and ultimately contributes to a much more robust economy for everyone.”
This feature was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of Calgary Economic Development.