Tracks and Treads - Finning Canada

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The Finning Focus Zero Sum Game Management at every company WANTS TO REPORT HIGHER EARNINGS, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO SAFETY, null is the greatest number G iven its around-the-clock mining operations and high volume of workrelated travel, Fort McMurray is a place that sees a lot of people spending a lot of time in vehicles. Not surprisingly, it’s also a place in which people spend a lot of time on their cellphones, two-way radios, PDAs and BlackBerrys while on the road. That’s why the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, which includes Fort McMurray and 10 other communities, launched a “Stop Then Talk” safe-driving campaign in the summer. With the support of Finning (Canada) and the Alberta Motor Association, the municipality made it mandatory for employees using municipal vehicles to pull over safely before using a communications device. Policies such as this one – and a similar one Finning (Canada) implemented more than a year ago – are a sea change in safety culture. A few years ago, being “unplugged” on the road meant being inefficient. Today, it means being smart. With an increasing number of companies adopting such safety policies, staying plugged in on the road is more likely to get you kicked out the door than patted on the back. Experts say that the distraction caused by By Brent Davis devices such as cellphones slows reaction by up to 50%. That’s a level comparable to impaired drivers. How would you feel about a company that permitted employees to drive under the influence It’s difficult to untangle ethics and technology. But leading companies are stepping up, looking for innovative ways to safeguard employees as well as the communities in which they operate. This may be our most important corporate responsibility. After all, we don’t work for work’s sake but to enjoy life – our families, our friends, our hobbies, our vacations. That’s why we need to choose safety, at work and at home, every day. Safety is a core value that influences everything we do at Finning. We’re working hard to develop consistent practices that encourage our people to put safety first. Finning’s recently improved job hazard analysis (JHA) is a prime example. JHA is a process whereby risks are recognized before starting a task: steps include hazard identification, assessment and control to help prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, damage to property and environment, and near misses. It is a tool proven to prevent injuries, and, as of June 20, it’s a mandatory part of doing business at Finning. JHA is a key Finning initiative to eliminate workplace injuries in an era that worships speed and technology. In 1994, we reported 168 lost-time injuries (LTIs). This statistic caused us to re-evaluate the safety of our workplace. We implemented company-wide conference calls, executive health and safety meetings, branch calls, incident reporting and daily learning sessions. Each brought greater safety awareness, and, as a result, we have seen the number of workplace injuries reduced. In 2007, our number of LTIs fell to 11. Ultimately, with the help of the JHA process, we aim to report zero, a number that’s the least sought-after when it comes to earnings, but the most soughtafter when it comes to safety. Back in 1985 when I worked in the Victoria warehouse, I didn’t always put safety first. But I should have. When I think about the near-misses I had, I wish I’d had access to the policies and programs Finning offers today. More importantly, I wish that everyone who has safety programs and tools at hand takes advantage of them. As much as rigorous policies and controls can mean more paperwork and more time, they’re a means to make sure that work is just the beginning of life, not the end. tracks & treads • Fall 2008 www.finning.ca
fall 2008 Volume 48, No. 3 Publisher Ruth Kelly rkelly@venturepublishing.ca aSSociate Publisher Daska Davis ddavis@venturepublishing.ca Executive Editor Jeff Howard jhoward@finning.ca eDitor Mifi Purvis mpurvis@venturepublishing.ca eDitorial Advisors Danna Beatty, Crystal Chokshi, Brad Ledig, Michelle Loewen, Patrick King art director Charles Burke cburke@venturepublishing.ca design intern Rodrigo López Orozco Production COORDINATOR Betty-Lou Smith Production technician Geoff Cwiklewich Letters & Feedback A NOTABLE STORY: Your 75th anniversary issue is a great read – it’s interesting, informative, fun, as well as being a microcosm of Western Canada’s history for the past 75 years. Congratulations. My interest in Caterpillar began in 1973 when I joined Hewitt Equipment as secretary to Mr. Robert Hewitt. Later, I also wrote their company magazines. I then moved to Edmonton and wrote the company magazines for R. Angus Alberta Ltd. The Cat years were the best of my working life. The only thing I would take issue with is your use of the word “notorious” to describe the epic Antarctic rescue by Kenn Borek Air pilots in 2001. That journey and rescue in unbelievable cold and total darkness was a tremendous Canadian achievement. Jane Horsburgh, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia Thanks, Jane. You are quite right. “Notorious” means widely known, but unfavourably so. We should have used the word “notable,” meaning widely known, but in the favourable sense. Borek pilot Sean Loutitt’s landing at the South Pole was indeed notable or, as you say, tremendous. In a pitch black Antarctic winter’s night, on a runway lit by burning oil barrels, Loutitt’s Twin Otter touched down at temperatures of -60˚C to rescue the Antarctic base’s ailing physician to carry him to medical treatment. – Editors circulation coordinator Amanda Damman circulation@venturepublishing.ca aDvertising representative Anita McGillis amcgillis@venturepublishing.ca Contributing Writers Robin Brunet, Dave DiCenzo, Katherine Fawcett, Keith Haddock, Rick Overwater, Jim Stirling, Shannon Sutherland, Jim Veenbaas Contributing PHOTOGRAPHERS and illustrators Dwight Arthur, Tim Bailey, John McDougall, Chris Pyle, Kelly Redinger, Rick Tolhurst, Chip Zdarsky Tracks & Treads is published to provide its readers with relevant business, technology, product and service information in a lively and engaging manner. Tracks & Treads is published for Finning (Canada) by Venture Publishing Inc. 10259-105 Street Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1E3 Phone: 780-990-0839 Fax: 780-425-4921 Contents © 2008 by Finning (Canada) No part of this publication should be reproduced without written permission. To the rescue: Borek Air in Antarctica Tell us what you think Tracks & Treads would love to hear from you. Tell us what you think of the magazine’s stories, columns and look, so that we can improve it and make it a more interesting read. Send your comments to executive editor Jeff Howard by e-mail at jhoward@finning.ca or the old-fashioned way to: Jeff Howard, Tracks & Treads, Finning (Canada), 16830 – 107 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T5P 4C3 www.finning.ca www.finning.ca Fall 2008 • tracks & treads
Page 1 and 2: No-risk business: Start with a haza
Page 3: 18 38 Departments 4 The Finning Foc
Page 7 and 8: groundbreaker dampening dust devils
Page 9 and 10: groundbreaker A Historic Sale A maj
Page 11 and 12: By the Numbers Number of millionair
Page 13 and 14: yellowiron New Products and Ser vic
Page 15 and 16: ARock and a Wet Place Story by Jim
Page 17 and 18: BOTTOMS uP: The company is calling
Page 19 and 20: Three Times a First Nations joint v
Page 21 and 22: 20 percent. “These logs are only
Page 23 and 24: a little tLc today could help put t
Page 25 and 26: CARE, PART TWO: Robert Knoll (left)
Page 27 and 28: SpECIaL REpoRT CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
Page 33 and 34: Safety First Story by rick overwate
Page 35 and 36: Of course, that’s not the way san
Page 37 and 38: an oUnce oF PreVention: Peter holub
Page 39 and 40: A Sharke Tale A central B.C. compan
Page 41 and 42: www.finning.ca Fall 2008 • tracks
Page 43 and 44: 1-888-finning | finning.ca 75 years

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