SAFETY ASSOCIATION OF SASKATCHEWAN MANUFACTURERS
P.O. Box 4105, Stn. Main
Regina, SK S4P 3W5
Phone: 306-522-1658
Meeting Report
February 12, 2015
Q1 Safety Meeting – Open Forum
Saskatoon Inn, Saskatoon, SK
In Attendance:
SASM
Ken Ricketts
Ijaz Chatha
Meagan Hallett
Cathy Glasser
Vince Bell
Karla Griffin
Members
Milt Myers – AGI Envirotank
Todd Li – Saputo Inc.
Trent Kolbe – Doepker Industries Ltd.
Daryl Hurlbert – Saputo Inc.
Angela Yanko – Gang-Nail Trusses
Darren Maruska – Doepker Industries Ltd.
Scott Coghlan – WCB
Ron Burwell – Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Canada, Ltd.
Scott Glum – Prairie Meats
Ryan Coquet – Prairie Meats
Frank Blandin – Bourgault Industries Ltd.
Rob Sutherland – Supreme Steel Ltd.
Debora Lee – Trailtech Inc.
Dan Sembalerus – Highline Manufacturing Ltd.
Troy Schwan – SJ Irvine Fine Foods Ltd.
Glenn Stumborg – Arc Alloy Welding
Susanne Babcock – Loraas Disposal Services Ltd.
Janet Maier-Denis – Saputo Inc.
Guests
Mike Gordon – Workplace Engineering Solutions
Kristin Petaski – Workplace Engineering Solutions
1. Sign up: 8:45 am – 9:00 am
2. Call to order: Chairman Ken Ricketts called the meeting to order at 9:03 am
3. Introductions: All in attendance introduced themselves
4. Subjects for round table discussion:
Addition: a. Management support for safety
5. Executive Director’s Report: - Ken Ricketts
a. The Chairman outlined the rate codes currently served by SASM: M41, M72, M91, M94 and
other private members in M42, M92, and M62:


Any M code can join immediately and others need to be approved by the Board of
Directors
Approximately 220 firms are currently served (active payroll) about 10,000 workers
The Chairman brought everyone up to date on issues affecting the membership in the M41,
M72, M91, and M94 rate codes including:
i. Number of firms and workers in each rate code
ii. Percentage of reduction for Time Lost Claims and number of claims for each rate
code
iii. Percentage of reduction for Total Claims and number of claims for each rate code
iv. Cost/premium ratio for each rate code
v. Number of days lost for each rate code
o Discussion of possible down turn based on the current state of the
economy
o Some of the firms in M94 used to be some of the worst, and one firm is
now soon to pass SASM’s silver level audit
6. SASM News: - Ken Ricketts
a. Online training is being developed (one course is currently ready: Sit-down Counterbalance
Forklift Safety Program) and SASM wants member firms to try it and provide feedback
b. Staff Project: Development of a course for Athabasca University’s Manufacturing
Management Certificate
c. 5 day Safety Management Administrator course (intensive) is now being offered:
 Provides you with every document needed to pass SASM’s Silver Level Audit
(comparable to ISO 18001)
 If you have passed Certificate of Recognition (COR) then you may be able to pass
SASM’s Bronze Level Audit
 Two firms represented at today’s meeting have been certified at the Silver Level
Audit and they are seeing reductions from WCB
o It is believed that only one company, Bourgualt Industries Ltd., has passed
SASM’s Silver Level Audit on the first attempt
d. SASM’s Manufacturing Safety Professional Certificate
 12 courses and 4 electives, and you must continue to upgrade - more difficult than
CSO and NCSO certifications
o Presentation of first Manufacturing Safety Professional Certificate to Darren
Maruska from Doepker Industries Ltd. (photograph taken)
7. Machine Safeguarding – Workplace Engineering Solutions: - Mike Gordon & Kristin Petaski
PowerPoint Presentation
a. Introduction to safeguarding
i. Why is safeguarding important
ii. Saskatchewan Employment Act and CSA standard Z432-04, Safeguarding of Machinery
iii. Critical Machine Inventory
iv. Safeguarding Assessment
b. Machine Safeguarding Process
i. Identify Hazards
ii. Risk Assessment
iii. Safeguarding controls
c. Machine Safeguarding during Procurement
i. Request for Proposal
ii. Quotation and Review
iii. Preliminary Risk Assessment
iv. Acceptance Criteria
v. Purchase Agreement
vi. Install and Signoff
d. Questions?
Mike and Kristin presented a breadth of knowledge regarding machine safeguarding and the steps
companies should be aware of when assessing the needs for safeguards and the stages of the
procurement process. They specifically drew attention to the fact that new machines do not have
to come with guarding and that defining your organization’s safeguarding requirements and
acceptance criteria will help to save your company money, time, and the added risk of an incident
in the long run. One of the key messages was for organizations to be proactive: make sure that
you’ve got a plan as it is good business to be ahead.
At the conclusion of the presentation the Chairman provided figures on the largest fine for a nonfatal machine guarding related incident received by a member, and the circumstances surrounding
the incident. 2014 statistics were provided regarding the number of “contact with machine”
incidences that occurred solely within SASM’s rate codes. Discussion ensued on how the Critical
Machine Inventory, introduced during the Machine Safeguarding presentation, could be a great
Return to Work activity.
8. Cathy Glasser Presentation: (handout provided)
a. Cathy reviewed, New Research: How CEOs Impact Safety, information originally presented
at the Industrial Safety Seminar in Regina (February 3, 2015) by Dayle Ehr, Account
Manager, SK-WCB (research partnership between the University of Regina and Worksafe
Saskatchewan). The key points that Cathy addressed include:
 Without commitment from top management to safety it is impossible to develop
safety climate
 Statistics from the charter indicate that Time Loss Injury Rates are going down by
both charter and non-charter members (a similar trend is seen with Total Injury
Rates) from 2008-2013
 High supervisory commitment to safety is associated with a decrease in workplace
injuries
 Growing evidence that higher levels of senior management commitment to safety is
associated with fewer injuries
 Having safety included in management performance appraisals helps to improve
management’s commitment to safety
 A positive impact on safety is seen not only in the CEO’s commitment, but also in
their ethical decision making:
o CEO Ethical Leadership + CEO Commitment to Safety + Top Management
Commitment to Safety + Supervisor Commitment to Safety = Less Injuries
9. Introduction of SASM’s Online Operator Training: - Ken Ricketts
a. Use of the online courses:
 If you want to use the program, you must be a member of SASM and you must have
a practical evaluator on site (Train-The-Trainer or Practical Evaluator certified)
 The online course will provide you with the Theory and you will have to do the
Practical Evaluation
 Keeping with SASM’s standard of operations, these courses include everything that
legislation and CSA standards require must be in the course
 The theory course will still take approximately 2 hours to complete
b. How the online courses work:
 You contact SASM and we send you the print file workbook for the course (currently
there is a course for Sit-down Counterbalance Forklift Safety Program, and Stand-up
Forklift Operator Safety Program is under development)
 It’s not free - the first course costs $45.00 per book/student
 There are individual courses, so the second course for a particular operator will be at
a reduced cost
o Discussion of regulations and operator re-certification requirements ensued
c. Demonstration of online course (Sit-down Counterbalance Forklift):
 Instructions on how the online course corresponds with the workbook
 Students need to follow along with the course and write down specific information,
which applies adult learning theory (application, participation, etc.)
 The online program allows SASM to know who took the course and which questions
they got wrong
Throughout the demonstration of the course members raised questions regarding how to
obtain the course/program and ways in which to gain access to the course without having to
contact SASM for each student. The Chairman clarified that firms send SASM an email or
call (pay) and online access is granted; at this time an electronic copy of the workbook is
sent. At the moment a 3 hour lead time is needed. The end goal is that eventually SASM
wouldn’t need to use the Vocam program and the courses would be hosted on SASM’s site,
but that is at least 3 years away.
ACTION: K. Ricketts to check if the same email can be used for all employees (more than one
employee), or if separate emails are needed for each employee.
General discussion continued with further questions and suggestions such as: how certificates
would be acquired; the possibility of the courses being completed in multiple languages; what
happens if someone fails a course; and do companies have access to the program (i.e. what
questions the worker got wrong, etc.)? The Chairman clarified that there are a few courses
that may possibly be done in different languages. If a worker fails the course they will have
to take the course again; the course will be offered at a discounted rate the second time.
SASM will provide companies with the questions that workers got wrong, as well as how
long it took for the individual to complete the course.
d. Feedback from member audience regarding the online training:
 Multiple member firms responded positively saying that they would use the online
training program, as they currently have computers dedicated to training.


The convenience factor was discussed.
Members would like to see that access to the program is available on the weekends.
ACTION: K. Ricketts to look into pre-buying in blocks so that organizations have access to
course seats without having to contact SASM every time.
e. Feedback from member audience regarding future online training courses:
The Chairman mentioned that SASM’s current plan is to finish off Forklift and then go to
Overhead Crane. After that, any course that SASM currently has as a Train-the-Trainer will
be developed into an online course.
 Members would like to see: Fall Protection, Confined Space, and Areal Lift
o Discussion ensued regarding practical evaluations for fall protection
 Entry level requirements, similar to Enform and Safety Construction Orientation
Training (SCOT), may also be developed. This is where courses in different
languages may be done.
General discussion continued with further member questions and comments:
 How do we handle a failure? How do we re-register workers and at what point do we
start re-paying?
 Will the handbook be emailed?
 One member commented that the handbook should be sent as a PDF (not a Word
Document) so that the document cannot be altered.
 Another member was quite impressed with SASM’s online course and wants to
compare it to their organization’s online training in order to measure the
effectiveness of their program against SASM’s program.
 Reading, writing, and audio hits all levels of learning. However, some members felt
that the only problem with the course was the audio; it could be different, especially
for ESL learners.
 Having the opportunity to do a verbal test, instead of a written exam, would be good
at some point.
The Chairman clarified that the training handbook would be emailed as a PDF and that if a
worker failed the course they would have to take it again and it won’t be free. There will be a
cost.
ACTION: All member firms present will get one free online seat based on the number of
members represented here today.
10. Round Table: - open discussion facilitated by Ken Ricketts
a. Management support for safety. How do we get management to commit (all levels)?
 If you can make things tangible through numbers (a bottom line) that sometimes
makes a difference
 Moral
 Legislation
 A major incident (death) or major dollars
Discussion ensued stemming from a member’s inquiry on how SASM defines commitment
by upper level management, and what SASM would like to see? The conversation raised
points that included ethically based decisions; there is lots of talk about commitment but it
has to be shown; and safety has to work in line with productivity and quality.
b. A general inquiry was made by a member regarding fall protection for their company while
loading material onto truck beds where there is no loading building to tie off to, and loading
often takes place in the yard at multiple locations.
 Discussion ensued regarding portable frames where retractable fall protection can be
attached
c. WCB 2015 Compensation Institute (Saskatoon, SK) March 23-24
 Reminder about the free annual two-day event and registration, which can be done
online
d. Procurement
 Cathy Glasser pointed out that procurement was discussed during the Machine
Safeguarding presentation and it is important to note that a Procurement Policy is part
of SASM’s Audit certification process, so member firms should ensure that they have
this in place
e. CSA Standards
 Formerly, the safety associations in Saskatchewan together shared a membership in
the CCOHS, and SASM could provide members with excerpts of CSA Standards (but
not the entire document)
 Last year all of the other Safety Associations dropped out except SASM, so the
CCOHS membership will cost SASM more
 Members find it frustrating that they are expected to follow CSA Standards but it
costs so much to obtain them
o Discussion ensued
11. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 1:57 pm