Top spot in safety

The Mosaic Company Belle Plaine has won a 2016 John T. Ryan Safety Award from Mine Safety Appliances Canada Ltd.

Receiving the national award for safety achievements is an honour, but the reason behind it is the bigger coup, says Jeff Price, Mosaic Belle Plaine’s environmental, health and safety manager. “It’s what we say we are striving for but actually doing it was impressive,” he says.

The award acknowledges the mining company boasted a zero reportable injury rate which means the site had no serious injuries leading to lost time or modified work in 2016.

The trophies are named after John T. Ryan who was the founder of Mine Safety Appliances of Canada Limited (now MSA Canada Inc.)

“It is kind of nice to be recognized on the national level,” Price says.

It was the first time the site achieved a zero injury rate in its 52-year history.

While he credits some of the win on “luck,” Price points out the mining industry in Saskatchewan has seen an ongoing, substantial decrease in injuries.

“We focus here on frontline supervisors’ presence out in the work areas and getting people involved,” he says.“The front-line workers are looking out for themselves and watching other workers.”