Health, safety and wellbeing

Our safety culture

In 2015, we overhauled our approach to safety following a comprehensive Safety Culture Assessment. The goal was to implement a mature, self-driven program where health and safety are entrenched aspects of our culture. We have improved performance across all our safety metrics and, since 2014, we have had zero lost-time injuries to employees and contractors. 

Shared responsibility for safety

Our safety-first culture starts with our leadership and is based on a premise of ‘see something, say something’ that encourages safety-first thinking. Modelling and instilling a high level of engagement and personal accountability has created safe workplaces throughout our organization. We equip our employees with the know-how and resources to make informed, rational decisions that help improve the safety of their work and home life.

Continual improvement

Our safety approach relies on non-complacency and continual improvement. Since 2018, we have invested over $1.9 million in capital initiatives for safety enhancements. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic showed us we could do more to provide cleaner air to our people, so we invested in improved ionic air filtration to achieve this. We focus on high-risk areas, always seeking to optimize our pedestrian walkways for safety and looking closely at dust mitigation safeguards and electrical safety.

ABFI Safety and Recognition

As part of the wider ABFI group, we follow the ABFI Safety Essentials. Our PGPI safety procedures align with and expand on this framework specific to our sites’ risks and needs. Annually, we share our successes within the ABFI Health & Safety Recognition Awards. We are proud to have received awards for our collective efforts and well-deserved recognition for individuals and teams in PGPI. They go above and beyond in championing and implementing safety practices.

Hazard identification

Each year we organize a hazard hunt for our people to report real-time hazards, near misses or safety feedback. Our people can capture critical information through photographs and written details to instantly notify the relevant teams to address and fix the issue. 

Every June, we participate in the National Safety Council's Safety Month. It's an opportunity to focus on and discuss various health and safety topics such as hazard recognition, fatigue, impairment, trips, slips and falls. In 2021, Safety Month explored the theme of mental health and wellbeing at work, recognizing that safe working practices are not limited to physical protection.

Safety at home

We want our people to be as safe at home as at work. To engage the families of our people in health and safety, we extend our Health, Safety & Environmental approach beyond our offices. Every year, we hold a Safety Calendar contest where our employees and their families submit drawings showing how their families use workplace safety and environmental measures at home. Past entries have included bicycle safety, fork truck safety, and sorting trash responsibly. The Calendar Contest provides opportunities for our employees to discuss safety and the environment in their daily lives. 

Improving employee wellbeing

We take the mental health of our employees as seriously as their physical health. All our people have access to the Employee Assistance Program with their health plan, an external organization that provides confidential support and advice. Additional examples of the programs offered are weight loss, smoking cessation, and the ‘Lark’ program, which includes a sleep and movement tracker, digital scale and a motivation coach.

Enhancing working environments

Our employee wellbeing approach goes beyond putting the proper support in place in times of need. We have re-modelled our Woodland office to be more welcoming and collaborative. More activities that bring our people together on non-work-related events have ignited a community spirit among staff and encouraged a healthy work/life balance.