Namerind Housing wins WorkSafe Saskatchewan award

Organization was one of the first non-profit housing corporations in the province to develop a safety management system

Namerind Housing wins WorkSafe Saskatchewan award
Robert Byers, president and CEO of Namerind Housing Corporation (centre) accepts the 2019 Safe Employer Award from Donna Johnson, deputy minister, Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace (left) and Gord Dobrowolsky, chairperson, Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board (right). WorkSafe Sa

WorkSafe Saskatchewan recently presented the 2019 Safe Worker and Safe Employer Awards in Saskatoon as part of the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board’s annual Compensation Institute.

The winner of the Safe Employer winner is Namerind Housing Corporation in Regina. The organization is one of the first non-profit housing corporations in Saskatchewan to develop a safety management system. Namerind’s employees are committed to developing and implementing hazard identification processes. In addition to training workers, supervisors and managers on their roles and responsibilities, Namerind has created a job hazard analysis for high and medium risk jobs for both field and office staff and introduced field level hazard assessments and supervisor check-ins. Contractors working for Namerind are provided with the necessary training for the job site and are assisted in building their own safety program or adopting Namerind’s. Supervisors monitor contractors similar to staff to ensure Namerind’s safety processes are being adhered to.

As one of the first organizations in Regina to adopt the Crime Free Communities program, Namerind works with the City Police, Mayor’s Office, contractors, staff and tenants to address workplace and community safety concerns. The two finalists for the 2019 Safe Employer Award are Walker Projects in Regina and Park Derochie Coatings (Sask) in Saskatoon.

WorkSafe Saskatchewan presented the Safe Worker award to a worker who goes beyond the expectations of their position to help create a safer workplace. The 2019 winner is Darrell Wingerak of BASF Agriculture Specialities in Saskatoon. Wingerak is a safety leader and role model on the BASF work site. In addition to co-chairing the OHS committee, Wingerakl has made a number of recommendations to minimize injuries on the work site. These include improving the mezzanine railing system, identifying visual hazards from glare, correcting damaged door sweeps, tool storage, improving housekeeping and adding bump protection to site fume hoods. Most recently, he brought in a new tool to ensure that injection needles remain sharp and developed a process to sharpen the needle, reducing ergonomic strain on employees.

Wingerak also revolutionized BASF’s exposure reduction program — a worker-based program that helps workers coach each other on safety behaviour. Wingerak trains all new observers in this process and tracks their results to present to them at site safety meetings. He has also encouraged others to be safety leaders on the work site through the introduction of a program where workers can submit ideas to improve safety. The two finalists for the 2019 Safe Worker Award are Dianne Addley of Canada Post in Saskatoon and Andy McGhee of Reliance Gregg’s Home Service in Saskatoon.