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This week, we sat down with Field Operations Supervisor, Janessa Kara, who manages our Edmonton Division, to ask her some questions about her day-to-day life while working in the Safety Industry.
Often times, when a Safety Supervisor visits a worksite, crew members are quick to avert eye-contact for fear of more paperwork... However, Janessa's goal while working on-site is quite the opposite. She remarks, "my favourite thing is being able to impact people's day and know that they're going to be safer after our interaction; being able to provide that personable feel so they can take safety seriously as well."
Site Visits
Janessa visits each job site approximately once a month. Her current client has roughly 10-15 active sites each month with some sites active for 2-4 days. Janessa's day-to-say operations for site visits are focused on ensuring employee safety and wellbeing. Once Janessa arrives on-site, she analyzes the site conditions and takes note of any site hazards that might stand out as a concern. She will then touch base with the job foreman to ask questions, review relevant documentation, and clarify any inquiries the foreman might have. Janessa keeps up with the project managers making sure they have all the supplies they need including First aid kits, Spill kits, and any relevant safety equipment.
After Janessa speaks with the foreman, she makes her way to each crew member to check-in on how things are going, "I always ask where the First Aid Kit is, where the Spill Kit is, and what do you do if someone gets injured?" When on-site, Janessa makes a point to be helpful and approachable to establish a connection with the crew she's overseeing, making sure the crew members have all the information that they need to ensure that operations are running smoothly and safely.
Training Matrix
As a part of Janessa's safety responsibilities, she regularly reviews clients' training records to ensure each employee has the proper training for the job they're doing. Janessa also takes the time to review competency evaluations for workers to ensure that staff have been signed off as competent and qualified to execute the required task at hand. Any deficiencies noted from the training/competency sign-off review will be brought to the attention of the site foreman to immediately rectify.
Online Safety Compliance
Along with site visits Janessa also manages and keeps up to date third party vendor management systems (i.e., ISNetworld®, ComplyWorks, and Avetta) This process includes answering a series of questions to evaluate the safety management system, safety loss statistics, WCB Injury Claim rates, specific safety policies as well as safe work procedures. With this information, we are able to evaluate and adjust the safety program as necessary to ensure the client's safety compliance and qualified to conduct work.
Being in compliance with these third party vendor management systems can be very time-consuming, and if questions are not answered as intended, or the right information is not uploaded, it may impact the company’s ability to work for certain vendors. Our clients find it more cost-effective and efficient to outsource the setup, administration, and ongoing maintenance of these programs to us, as we have the experience and expertise to ensure that they remain compliant and qualified.
But Wait, There's More...
Here's a list of additional things that Janessa completes for client health & safety:
Perform Site and Office Inspections
Conduct Incident Investigations and assist on employer injury management
Review contractor safety documents and ensure they are up to date
Provide safety updates for Joint Health & Safety Committees
Register clients in OIS (Occupational Injury Service) through WCB, which helps reduce employee loss-time
At Strategic HSE, we are an all-encompassing Health and Safety provider based in Peace River, AB with divisions located in Whitecourt, Edmonton, and Williams Lake, BC. Our experience spans most industries and includes small companies and large international corporations. We recognize that our services have a significant impact on your organization, we provide services that surpass just the status quo. Unlike other service providers, we have a practical "hands-on" approach to safety that makes our company truly unique. With an experienced team of professionals, we will access your needs and provide customized solutions at competitive rates.
If you're interested in learning more about our services, please don't hesitate to reach out:
Samuel Elkins | Strategic HSE Founder & CEO
Phone: (780) 617-7706
Email: samuel@strategichse.com