Our lumber mill in Drayton Valley, AB, was recently recognized as one of the safest in the province for three years running.
The team's impressive record earned the mill a Health and Safety award from the Alberta Forest Products Association for the 2015-2017 timeframe. Co-sponsored by the Alberta Labor Ministry, Drayton Valley won the category for sawmills with more than 400,000 exposure hours.
AGGRESSIVE RISK MANAGEMENT
"It's nice to be recognized, but the real reward is when people go home safe," said Matt Snow, mill manager.
Snow credits a doubling of reported near misses and hazards over the past three years as one of the reasons for the team's excellent safety record.
"The willingness and enthusiasm of every single employee to take a caring approach in recognizing, identifying and eliminating risk has been and will continue to be key to our success," Snow said.
ACCOUNTABILITY AND CULTURE
To encourage participation, the team uses a database to record activities like paired leadership audits, PPE audits, risk assessments, and near miss and hazard reporting.
"We work hard to make sure everyone has an opportunity to get involved and is accountable," said Colton Hunter, safety coordinator. "No one person owns the safety plan. Everyone's expected to take an active part.
And while the safety plan is a living document the team updates and refines throughout the year, culture and mentality also play a big role in Drayton Valley's safety approach.
"Safety requires enthusiasm and the right mindset," Hunter said. "If we hit a roadblock, be it financial or operational, we want the team to speak up, and get involved to find a way to keep moving forward."
GETTING EVEN BETTER
Meghan Bauman, who recently joined the mill as safety manager, said the first thing she noticed after coming on board was the team's commitment to driving projects across the finish line.
"I came from a different industry, and culture and accountability hadn't yet developed there to the same level I see here," Bauman said. "I'm really excited to work with this team and see how much better it can get."
To continuously improve, the team continues to introduce new practices.
For example, Ken Jackson, maintenance manager, recently introduced "tailgate" meetings to help his team transition from home to work. After a weekend or extended time off, the team gets together to talk about safety. While these tailgates are short, typically 10 to 15 minutes, it's one more way to ensure everyone is in the right frame of mind before beginning the workday.
Ken started at the mill in 1986, before construction was even completed. "Looking back, my reaction is ‘Holy Cow!'," he said. "Thirty years later, I see a completely different attitude about safety as we continue to strive for perfection and sustained injury-free performance."
