Growing salmon safely

The event was hosted by the FIOSA-MIOSA Safety Alliance of BC (Food Industry Occupational Safety Association -  Manufacturing Industry Occupational Safety Alliance), which is the health and safety association for manufacturers and food processors in BC.

Dean Dobrinsky, Director of Human Resources for MHC, told Fish Farming Expert how this type of recognition is validation that their safety systems and programs are working. “We are a safe employer,” Dobrinsky said, “These awards are provincial wide, and speak to how Marine Harvest has reached an exceptional standard of safety.”

"We are a company with a culture where safety is a key priority. We continue to maintain not only the best safety record in our industry, but one of the best in all of the province,” explained Dobrinsky.  “While the awards are nice validation that our systems are working, the proof is in the safety of our workforce. We have a highly engaged workforce who take a great deal of pride in ensuring that they and their coworkers have a safe working environment. These awards are theirs."

MHC started the OSSE process in 2014 and had completed sixteen site third-party audits to achieve its final certification score. As well as providing an incentive to record safety progress and benchmark against other industries, the certification awards the company a reduction in Worksafe BC insurance rates.

MHC Health and Safety Manager Blaine Tremblay said it was encouraging to have progressed to the next level of safety excellence so soon after certification.

“All levels of our company are committed to keeping OSSE certification and continuing to improve safety. The Topaz and Sapphire awards demonstrate that we have a business culture where safety is a key priority,” Blaine said.

“We’re going to continue our work to embed safety in all work processes. Our goal is to achieve zero accidents as well as become an OSSE Diamond status employer. In addition, we are proud to have the best safety record within our classification. This is a long term commitment to keeping our workforce as safe as possible every single day.”

"We have put a lot of time and effort into our workplace safety programs,” said Laurie Jensen, Communications Officer with Cermaq Canada, “Employee safety is our number one concern”.

Jensen explained to Fish Farming Expert that creating a safety culture at Cermaq Canada has been a top priority for several years now.

“Thanks to the help of our employees, who have been supportive and provided lots of great suggestions, we have one of the best safety records for any salmon farmer in the world,” said Jensen.

Following hot on the heels of the OSSE awards, Cermaq Canada is also nominated for the BC Food Producers Association's Workplace Safety Award. This award recognizes innovative programs, policies or projects that assist in reducing workplace injuries and is awarded to companies that are seen as a leader in the industry.

“Our company has an excellent track record, with 80% of our facilities having gone more than three years without any lost time incidents”, Jensen added. “We are proud to have these achievements recognized by these awards, and are proud of our employees who made it happen.”