Canadian Occupational Safety

The hospital has also devoted much attention recently to reviewing and revising its workplace violence strat- egy. Staff members are trained on de-escalating violent situations, and some have access to panic alarms. Additionally, employees in the mental health department wear per- sonal alarms as part of their uniforms. The hospital is also mitigating potential risks by modifying physical environments. "We want to design environments in which patients can be treated safely and staff can retreat safely if they need to," she says. Gagnon says the 1,850-employee hospital looks at injuries not from the standpoint of statistics but from a people standpoint. "The business we're in is really a people business. It's about people providing care for people. We want to ensure that those who come to work here never have to worry about being safe in their environment." says Renzo Cacciotti, vice-president of corporate services. So, where meetings used to be led by the foreman and presented to one crew, they are now presented by members of the safety and human resources teams before multiple crews. "Instead of just being one foreman to a crew of fi ve people, we now have more people, more involvement, and we bring all the crews together so they all get exactly the same message," he says. An essential element of K-Line's safety policy is its "no blame" culture, Cacciotti says, which encourages incident and hazard reporting. Employees are required to report all near misses. The company even sets an annual target for the number of near misses reported — and fi xed. "Everything for us is safety fi rst. That's our biggest strategic thrust," Cacciotti says. "When you're working live, there's no get-out-of-jail-free card. If something happens, someone is going to get hurt. We have to work safe." G O L D TRANSPORTATION S I L VER S I L VER Voyageur Transportation Services AFD Petroleum October/November 2015 21 V ancouver Airport Authority (VAA) is always looking for ways to engage its 440 employees in safety and keep safety messages interesting. One recent series of posters had a very personal touch. "We put out a call among our employees for volunteers and asked them to bring their families in. And we had photographers, who created great pictures of employees and their families for the posters," says Kevin Hong, manager of health and safety at the organization, which manages the Vancouver International Airport. The posters, which had such cap- tions as "I want my daddy to come home safe," had two kinds of mes- sages, one promoting physical safety, the other promoting healthy living. "We have these posters set up throughout the employee areas. It's really powerful messag- ing," says Hong. VAA's three-tiered training program, the result of collab- oration between its occupational health and safety experts and maintenance employees, ensures all aspects of training are covered. The fi rst level of training requires trainees to read doc- umentation and complete computer-based training mod- ules. At the second tier, trainees receive practical, instructor-led training: they get into the equipment, for example, and are lowered into con- fi ned spaces. The next level involves competency-based evaluations. "The supervisor is talking with the maintenance worker: 'Show me how you don and doff the equipment.' 'Take me through what the hazards are.' And they can do a quick assess- ment there," Hong says. "If anything needs improvement, they can do it right there. And it also provides posi- tive reinforcement." Craig Richmond, president and CEO, points to the President's Award for Safety Excellence as an event VAA has run for several years to keep employees engaged. Departments set goals for OHS and, at year's end, the joint health and safety committee selects winners in different categories, and a celebration dinner is held. "It's probably become one of the most popular contests and events. It's all in good humour between the departments, but there defi nitely is a sense of rivalry," says Richmond. VAA's wellness program has a 97 per cent participation rate, Richmond says. The organization promotes wellness because it believes employees who are fi t and well are less likely to get injured or make mistakes due to fatigue. Even at the end of the day, Richmond adds, employees often take part in some kind of exercise — core fi tness, boot camp, yoga lessons — that VAA offers. MORGUARD.COM Morguard Congratulates the 2015 Recipients of Canada's Safest Employers Awards At Morguard, our owned and managed properties house families and businesses across Canada and the United States. We are committed to real estate and we are committed to the highest level of safety and health for our employees, tenants, contractors and guests. BUilDinG A CUltURe Of SAfety AnD HeAltH T 905-281-3800 Winner of Canada's Safest Employers Award: Gold Retail/Services

• Cover