Houston Canfor’s priority is safety By Jackie Lieuwen
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very worker goes home safely every day. For Houston’s Canfor it’s not a motto, it’s a duty. “The tragic incidents at Babine Forest Products and Lakeland Mills forced the entire industry to review their dust management practices and come up with new and innovative ways to deal with combustible dust,” said Matthew Franks, Canfor human resources manager. Since 2012, Franks said there’s been ongoing improvements in dust extraction systems, misting systems and dust containment. They’ve also been making improvements on how they
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install and guard equipment so employees handle lumber and material less frequently, reducing the likelihood of injuries. Ultimately, Franks said employers are responsible to ensure the health and safety of its workforce and the main way they do so is hiring safety personnel and educating employees. Canfor also provides personal protective equipment and supervision for employees to do their jobs safely. Franks said unsafe conditions are remedied as they’re identified and safety committees make regular recommendations about safety concerns based on injury trends and observation. Canfor also employs an Hourly Safety Designate who works solely on improving safety. Canfor partners with Worksafe BC, the B.C. Safety Authority and the Ministry of Environment to improve safety. “The open and honest approach we have with them gives us the chance to use their knowledge and input to improve the safety of our operations,” Franks said. Canfor also uses safety resources from other Canfor mills to identify best practices, support divisional safety initiatives and share information and key learnings between the mills. “Canfor has always viewed safety as a core value in its business,” Franks said. Striving for zero incidents, Canfor “firmly believes that all workplace incidents are preventable” and their safety program and standards reflect that. In the event of an injury, Franks says they look for ways to reduce the likelihood of a similar incident in the future. “We are here to make lumber, but doing that safely is the most important task we have. There are many hazards in a sawmill, as with most primary industries but we take great care to minimize our employees exposure to those hazards through engineering, guarding, training and personal protective equipment,” he said. “Our priority is to have all of our employees return home safely from work each and every day.” -N2K-