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Safest Mill in Canada 2003

It’s a pleasure to see all the names filling the shields awarded to the winners of the Safest Mill Contest in Canada. There are three such shields, one for each of the categories, and, since last year…

It’s a pleasure to see all the names filling the shields awarded to the winners of the Safest Mill Contest in Canada. There are three such shields, one for each of the categories, and, since last year’s winner filled the last free space available, the shield for Category B has had to be replaced this year.

Iroquois Falls will be receiving the new shield with the name of their mill emblazoned on it and plenty of space for future winners. Next year, the Category A shield will be replaced. The full shields, with their history of winners, will be retired from circulation and will hang in the Pulp & Paper Canada office in Montreal.

Already this year, the updated forms and guidelines have stimulated more interest and entries into the contest. Congratulations to the winners and welcome to all who strive to make the mills safer for their workforce!

Category A

BOWATER THUNDER BAY: RETAINING THE TITLE

This is the third consecutive year for this achievement and an affirmation of the integrity of the safety management system in place in Thunder Bay. A solid safety management system allows this operation to produce outstanding safety results in the same way it produces its high quality newsprint and kraft pulp.

Bowater Thunder Bay’s recordable injury frequency has ranged from 1.7 to 2.5 over the past few years and the severity rate remains very low.

The health and safety of workers is the first priority in everything they do at Bowater Thunder Bay. Safety is number one on the agenda with every meeting that is held, whether it is Senior Managers’ weekly business meeting or a daily Crew Leader shift meeting. Safety standards are set, reviewed by all workers and measured frequently to ensure compliance.

The Senior Management Team has established a system where the safety program is managed within the workforce itself. Decisions around scheduling, work assignment, training and inspecting are done daily by the workers on the shop floor. Crew Leaders are responsible for the day-to-day activities within their own departments, initiating safety meetings and incident reviews within established time lines. They are also responsible for the safety of their work crew and are involved in overseeing the work performed, identifying deficiencies and taking corrective action.

For a safety program to be successful, it requires a total commitment from all workplace participants. The workers at Bowater Thunder Bay are experienced and competent and take pride in safely performing all tasks. In spite of the many distractions in the workplaces today, the safe performance of all work must, and will, remain their number one priority.

Don Campbell

Vice President and Resident Manager

Category B

IROQUOIS FALLS: DETERMINED TO SUCCEED

In 2001, Abitibi-Consolidated, Iroquois Falls Division’s Occupational Health & Safety Committee, Local Unions and Divisional Management set the objectives to become the Safest Mill in Canada. The employees reached that milestone in 2003 after working 22 months (or 1.48 million manhours) without a lost time accident!

The Division’s Health & Safety Vision Statement is “We believe that, after each workday, every person employed at Iroquois Falls Division, will return to his or her family and friends, accident-free.”

All of our employees deserve recognition for their efforts in ensuring that health and safety is given top priority by bringing their concerns forward and contributing to solutions. We can only reach this level when everyone works together for a common cause.

Tom Bremner

Safety Coordinator

SAFEST MILL IN CANADA CONTEST 2003