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.
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21 2019 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER AT PRIMORIS CANADA, they don't just track their safety performance, they're keeping score. For the Edmonton-based oil and gas construction company, which has 689 direct and 68 contract employees, a central component of the safety man- agement program is a Health, Safety and Environment Scorecard. Every month, each work site completes a scorecard, which later will be used to measure HSE performance against managers' established expectations. "It's like a health check of where each location is at with the implementation report. They are compared with the expectations set for each item. These scorecards give senior leaders a snap- shot of how the health and safety system is being implemented at the work sites and serves as a measurement of the company's safety performance. "It's been one of the best programs that we've implemented. It allows us to stay on track, stay focused," says Taylor. Another element of the safety program is the company's hazard assessment and control strategy, which occurs over four phases of the work process. The first phase, called the operational HSE assessment, is particularly important. It refers to the planning done before work on a proj- ect is started. The HSE team and project manager meet and cover every aspect of pre-planning: area hazards, hazard assessments completed, how each task will be conducted, training required and equipment and tools to be used. The information is all documented and, after the project starts, the opera- tional HSE assessment will be reviewed monthly to ensure the project stays on track with the plan established in the Oil and Gas GOLD Birchcliff Energy SILVER Pronghorn Controls SILVER Weatherford SILVER of our expectations," says Kim Taylor, director, HSE. Completed scorecards show leading and lagging indicators, as well as the number of inspections, observations, focus audits, hazard identification cards and other HSE compliance components. The card is also used to record safety culture activities and environmental protection strategies. Scorecard data is compiled, and work sites are given a percentage score. The results are summarized first in a business-unit level report and then in an overall Canadian executive pre-planning phase. "It allows us to be very prepared on all aspects of safety before a project gets started. It acts as a gap analysis for our system, showing what we currently have and what we need to develop before the project starts," Taylor says. Primoris' talisman program was introduced in 2011, following a seri- ous incident caused in part by an employee's failure to adhere to com- pany safety rules. Under the program, every new worker has a meeting with a senior manager. The manager explains com- pany expectations around working safely but also talks about why they work safely, connecting safety to the things in life that are most important to them. The worker receives a coin, or talisman, which they will carry with them every day to work. The new worker also signs the Talis- man Commitment form, pledging their commitment to working safely, and is asked to bring in photos of the people and things that matter most to them. These are posted on the walls in all their work sites. "It's been one of our biggest initia- tives," Taylor says. "The coin engages our workers and reminds them of what they're working safely for." Primoris values continuous improvement. It achieves that in part by having an effective incident learn- ing system, which helps reduce the risk of recurrence and improves employee awareness. After every incident, the safety team develops a short "lessons learned" Powerpoint presentation summarizing the incident and its key lessons. It is distributed to all work locations for review at safety meetings. Workers at Primoris are encouraged to look out for one another and inter- vene in unsafe situations. "It's important they feel supported and empowered to do the right thing, stop unsafe work and enjoy their career here," Taylor says. be tracked to closure. GE employees are encouraged to report all EHS concerns and sugges- tions. For serious issues, employees are required to take their concern immediately to their direct manager for quick resolution or to stop work. A common root cause of incidents, Desiri says, is that a safety measure is missing. A worker may notice it but, wanting just to finish a job, says nothing. "What we're telling people is, if you see a safety measure is missing, call someone. We will be all over it until it's resolved. But don't go ahead." The company acknowledges work- ers who report safety omissions. "We put it in front of the whole team and say, 'Look what Joe reported.' Just to highlight how important it is," he says. "We're seeing more of these reports, so it's starting to take hold." During the past year, the safety team has also improved the way it delivers EHS resources to field work- ers by revamping the intranet site. After consulting with workers, GE Healthcare created a format that's searchable, usable on smartphones and organized for workers' needs. GE Healthcare trains workers in different parts of the country to be "safety champions." These champi- ons, who have extra EHS training, act as the go-to person in their region. When remote workers have a safety issue, they go to their safety champion first, knowing that that co-worker has expertise both in the job and in safety. Due to the amount of time field workers spend driving, the company focuses on driver training. Workers who drive must complete a safety risk assessment; higher-risk drivers take practical defensive driving courses. The safety team regularly communi- cates driving hazards and reminds workers of the importance of planning trips and stopping for breaks. GE Healthcare encourages employ- ees to participate in its EHS teams, which include teams for ergonomics, lockout tagout verification and auto- mobile accidents. Last year, almost one-half of the field workforce joined a health and safety team or project. "What makes EHS succeed is partici- pation," Desiri says. "When people are actively participating and contribut- ing, the safety program will succeed." Great People Work Here! Proud recipients of Canada's Safest Employers Awards Niagara_Casinos Niagara_Casinos NiagaraCasinosJobs Niagara Casinos NiagaraCasinosJobs