Canadian Occupational Safety (COS) magazine is the premier workplace health and safety publication in Canada. We cover a wide range of topics ranging from office to heavy industry, and from general safety management to specific workplace hazards.
Issue link: https://digital.thesafetymag.com/i/358706
November 2013 15 B uilding roads, bridges and infrastructure is a competitive business, and doing more with less is always a challenge for compa- nies like Cruickshank Construction. But when it comes to the safety of more than 500 employees, Cruick- shank does not compromise. Health and safety offi cer Jamie Guthrie plays safety advocate from the outset of every project to ensure safety gear and training are included in the budget and process. "By providing input into bids and projects, my team and I can anticipate and deal with safety issues before a job even begins," he says. This helps eliminate risk and saves time and money in the long run. "Everybody is looking at safety records nowadays. Our customers know that we're doing a good job and we're focused on safety before we start our day," says Paul Charboneau, general contracts supervisor at the Kingston, Ont.-based company. Improving Cruickshank's safety record is the impetus behind initia- tives that have paid off in impressive results. These include attaining one million work hours without a lost-time accident and reduc- ing incidents throughout the year. In August — the most dangerous month — incidents dropped by 75 per cent. The hot summer months take their toll on construc- tion workers, with the good weather driving deadlines for building projects. "August is traditionally the worst month for accidents and serious inci- dents because by then, our workers are tired," says Guthrie. To raise awareness and change the incident pattern, Guthrie and his team implemented a pre-summer safety event. During this employee fair, the company shuts down operations and provides demonstrations, exhibits, speeches, vendor displays and training. "Activities such as this refl ect our proactive philosophy, and employees appreciate that it is for them," says Guthrie. Another program that keeps safety top of mind is "Rewards and Reprimands." "This points system — which translates into cash — acknowledges workers who practise safe work habits, make suggestions, contribute ideas or volunteer their time," explains Guth- rie. "For every workweek without an incident, an employee gets one safety point, so every Christmas, they receive a cash reward of accumulated points." Other opportunities also exist for ramping up the points, each worth $2. The reprimands part deducts points for unsafe work practices. Safety is embedded in the Cruick- shank culture because everyone knows safety is the top priority and is non- negotiable, says Guthrie. CANADA'S SAFEST EMPLOYERS A s a nuclear facility, Nordion regards safety as a leading priority, says Scott McIntosh, COO for speciality isotopes. "Operating a business like ours, which is high risk, rests on placing environmental health and safety con- siderations at the top of the list," he says. "They are fundamental to our success as a business. They underlie everything we do." Nordion, which specializes in nuclear medicine, has a safety system founded on its environment, health and safety policy, says Tammy Scant- lebury, occupational health specialist. It commits them to follow ALARA, a standard of maintaining risk "as low as reasonably achievable." Safety into our objectives every year that are intended to continually improve the outcomes in particular health and safety areas," McIntosh says. Workers are updated regularly about the company's safety goals and initia- tives at weekly and monthly team meetings. Making safety a focus of these meetings, which bring together managers and employees who work together daily, is the most effective way to communicate about health and safety, McIntosh says. Nordion's main communication channel with employees is its intranet site. By clicking on the EHS tab, employees can read about health and safety policies, monthly outcomes, safety results, health and safety com- mittee meeting minutes and about issues such as radiation safety, training programs and emergency response, Scantlebury says. More information is available in a monthly newsletter, NEWSS 4 You (Nordion's Environmental, Well- ness, Security and Safety). Each issue includes an OHS-related puzzle, and those who complete and submit it are eligible for a prize. "It's kind of a fun way to get employ- ees to read it," she says. Nordion believes safety is the responsibility of all employees, McIn- tosh says. But it's important for those at the top to emphasize safety, too. "We see a great deal of the EHS pro- grams," he says. "As an executive team, we believe it's our role to set the tone for how important it is." Gold: Cruickshank Construction Category: Building and Construction 'Rewards and reprimands' program effective SILVER: • Innovative Automation • Nestlé Waters SILVER: • Borger Group Gold: Nordion Category: Manufacturing programs also undergo regular assess- ment by the EHS committee to ensure they remain effective. Managers at the Ottawa-based company involve employees in the completion of departmental job hazard analysis and risk assessments. Moreover, when a work process is being created or re-designed, those employees who will be working with the new system are asked to help review the proposed design. "We hope employees can bring forth ideas to ensure the new process is designed with the end user in mind," says Scantlebury. At the beginning of each year, man- agers and workers set safety targets and discuss activities aimed at areas to be improved. These targets and activities are part of all 421 employees' perfor- mance appraisals. "So we have a set of activities built High risk, high safety EMPLOYERS