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Sonoco, Domtar win safety excellence awards from Workplace Safety North

Two pulp and paper companies are among the winners of the Workplace Safety North (WSN) annual awards program, which recognizes Ontario workplaces for health and safety excellence.

On Sept. 25, the provincial health and safety association for mining, forestry, and paper, printing, and converting sectors handed out its President’s Award to three top performers including Sonoco Canada Trent Valley Mill in Trenton.

“The President’s Awards shine a spotlight on the health and safety achievements of WSN member firms and community-based clients,” says Paul Andre, WSN president and chief executive officer.

Sonoco Trenton also picked up a Workplace Excellence Award, along with Domtar’s Dryden mill.

WSN evaluates statistical performance – both in terms of year-over-year performance of the individual company, and performance against a specific Workplace Safety and Insurance Board rate group of peers. Firms scoring over 80 per cent are awarded a Workplace Excellence Award. The top-scoring firm in each category is eligible for the President’s Award following on-site validation from a WSN health and safety specialist.

“It is so important to recognize the efforts of workplaces – ones that make health and safety a priority,” says Andre. “I consider the award winners to be positive role models to help Ontario businesses make workplace health and safety an integral part of every job and every workday.”

President’s Award winners for health and safety excellence

Paper, printing and converting sector: Sonoco Canada Trent Valley Mill, Trenton
Mining sector: North American Palladium – Lac des Iles Mine, Thunder Bay
Northern Ontario Business: Nordic Minesteel Technologies, North Bay

Domtar, Sonoco among Workplace Excellence Award winners

Earlier this year, 23 companies received a Workplace Excellence Award, recognizing workplace excellence in health and safety. In order to qualify for a Workplace Excellence award, companies must complete an assessment of current health and safety programs, note areas for improvement and develop an action plan to improve their safety performance.

All submissions are considered for the President’s Award, and scoring is based on self-assessment as well as statistical performance over the past two calendar years. The full list of winners is as follows:

Alex MacIntyre and Associates, Kirkland Lake
DeBeers Group of Companies – Victor Mine, northern Ontario 90 km west of Attawapiskat
Cementation Canada, North Bay
DMC Mining Services, Vaughan
Domtar, Dryden
Dumas Contracting, Timmins
Glencore – Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations
KGHM – Sudbury Operations, Sudbury
Kidd Operations – Glencore Canada, Timmins
Kirkland Lake Gold Macassa Mine Complex, Kirkland Lake
Kirkland Lake Gold Taylor Complex, Val Gagne
Kirkland Lake Gold Holt Complex, Matheson
Newmont Goldcorp – Porcupine Gold Mines, South Porcupine
Newmont Goldcorp – Red Lake Gold Mines, Balmertown
Nordic Minesteel Technologies, North Bay
North American Palladium – Lac Des Iles Mine, Thunder Bay
Redpath Canada, North Bay
SCR Mining and Tunnelling L.P., Val Caron
Sonoco Canada – Trent Valley Mill, Trenton
Tahoe Canada – Lake Shore Gold, Timmins
Technica Mining, Lively
Wallbridge Mining Company, Lively
Wellington Produce Packaging, Mount Forest