Each year, Workplace Safety North (WSN), recognizes Ontario workplaces for health and safety excellence. At the September 25 AGM, 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: Thunder Bay’s North American Palladium - Lac des Iles Mine, Trenton’s Sonoco Canada Trent Valley Mill, and North Bay’s Nordic Minesteel Technologies.

“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 CEO. “The initial Workplace Excellence assessment is a self-assessment conducted jointly with either the worker member of the joint health and safety committee or, for smaller firms, their health and safety representative, and this supports the integrity of the results.”

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% 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.

“I’m honoured to recognize the dedication to worker well-being, to creating and maintaining healthy and safe workplaces – and to bringing every worker home safe and healthy. Well done!”

President’s Award Winners for health and safety excellence:
Mining sector: North American Palladium – Lac des Iles Mine, Thunder Bay
Paper, Printing, and Converting sector: Sonoco Canada Trent Valley Mill, Trenton
Northern Ontario Business: Nordic Minesteel Technologies, North Bay

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 and statistical performance over two calendar years. Top scoring firms are officially presented with the President’s Award at the WSN annual general meeting in North Bay.

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

The purpose of the Workplace Excellence (WE) Awards is twofold. First, companies complete an easy-to-follow assessment of their current health and safety programs, which enables them to identify areas for improvement and create an action plan. Second, the program provides external recognition to those companies actively engaged in improving health and safety performance.