Focus on Safety

Are you aware that the forest industry is working on a program that will reduce costs, create efficient operations and reduce paperwork?  With the help of the BC Forest Safety Council, industry is renewing the prequalification system that is better known as SAFE Companies certification.

What is a prequalification system anyway?  In this case, it is a process to check if a company has the necessary procedures and processes in place to be a safe, high quality and reliable organization. 

As the rest of the world prepares for BBQ’s and hitting the beach, the silviculture industry is just hitting its stride.  Many companies have avoided snow or weather delays and had a good start to the season, allowing for full days of uninterrupted work and contracts finishing on time.  It’s the ideal scenario for keeping clients and planters happy – and supervisors busy.  Now is a good time to consider how to keep the momentum going and avoid some common issues with fatigue.

Have you been ignoring those planters who work in running shoes?  Did you shrug off that knee injury claim that lasted 50 days because it’s the ‘name of the game’? Do you high five the planter who runs off the block to fit in one more bag up?

 Slips, trips and falls are the number one cause of workplace injuries in the silviculture industry. Between 2006-2010 they represented over $82 million in claims costs for forestry companies!