Safety incentive programs, monthly meetings help engage staff
The R.M. of Wilton No. 472 is the winner of the 2018 Safe Employer Award, presented by WorkSafe Saskatchewan. The rural municipality strives to establish itself as an industry leader in promoting and protecting its employees, the public and the environment.
The R.M. of Wilton is proactive in measuring its safety management system through field level risk assessments, site, equipment and PPE inspections, training sessions, job safety analyses and emergency response procedure drills, said WorkSafe Saskatchewan.
Workers are responsible for contributing to the safety program and safety is part of every employee’s annual evaluation. The rural municipality encourages employee engagement through safety incentive programs, bi-annual safety recognition events and pre-job/monthly safety meetings. Digital displays are used in lunch rooms to highlight safe work practices and procedures, safety reminders and acknowledgements of safety excellence.
The two finalists for the 2018 Safe Employer Award are Asiil Enterprises and Ceda Specialty Services.
WorkSafe Saskatchewan founded the Safe Employer Award in 2007 to honour an employer who shows leadership in health and safety beyond the requirements of the industry and legislation.
Justin Ellis is the winner of WorkSafe Saskatchewan’s 2018 Safe Worker Award. This award is bestowed upon a worker who goes beyond the expectations of their position to help create a safer workplace. Ellis, who works at Humboldt Electric in Saskatoon, came up with the idea of safety opportunity cards. Employees use these cards to identify unsafe acts and recognize employees who were properly adhering to safety protocols. Any cards with negative observations do not include any names, while positive observations recognize individual and team efforts. In the card template, employees must identify immediate solutions, which stresses that it’s every individual’s responsibility to correct unsafe acts.
Part of the solution includes the site supervisor taking steps to eliminate similar hazards or situations from re-occurring. Introduced in December 2016, Ellis’ card system is ongoing as part of the company’s safety management system.
The two finalists for the 2018 Safe Worker Award are Ryan Munson of BASF Agricultural Specialties in Saskatoon and Gerry Sohnchen of North Ridge Developments in Saskatoon.
WorkSafe Saskatchewan presented the 2018 Safe Worker and Safe Employer Awards in Regina as part of the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board’s Compensation Institute in March.
