S&C’s Canada Business Works 1 Million Hours Without a Lost-Time Injury

On June 5, 2017, S&C Electric Canada Ltd., S&C Electric Company’s Canadian business based in Toronto, achieved 1 million work hours without a lost-time injury. The 200,000-square-foot facility employs more than 250 team members on the shop floor and an additional 100 team members in the offices.  

The Toronto team celebrated this milestone with a gathering, and team members were presented gifts. This was an incredible milestone, but it will not stop S&C’s goal to maintain team member safety.

“Safety is, and always will be, S&C’s number-one priority” says Angelo Gravina, President of S&C Electric Canada. “But we don’t want to concentrate on the end result alone. We want to be known for continually improving our safety standards. We believe that by concentrating on the end result, team members might be inclined to under-report injuries out of fear of being the person who ruined the record, which is simply unacceptable. Our aim is to look further ahead and identify hazards and mitigate these hazards before an injury occurs.”

The theme to “stop and take immediate action” is on top of the mind for all team members.Forklift trucks, for example, are used in the manufacturing area, and S&C has identified them as a safety concern. By taking a proactive approach, S&C installed blue safety spotlights on all of the forklift trucks. Now, pedestrians are alerted by this blue light well before coming close to the forklift truck.  

“Safety is everybody’s responsibility” says Laura Cudizio, S&C Electric Canada Supervisor–Health and Safety and a member of S&C’s Safety Action Team. “That is why the Safety Action Team is promoting monthly safety themes and engaging team members in various ways–safety contests, posters, and safety observations in their immediate work area. Even office staff, who have never worked on the shop floor, participate in these monthly safety promotions, so when they are walking through the manufacturing facility, they can spot and report unsafe work practices.”

Members of both the Leadership Team and the Safety Action Team are actively conducting monthly Safety Gemba Walks. Based on the monthly safety themes, safety standards are observed and good points are noted together with ways to continuously improve safety within the area.

S&C Electric Canada takes its responsibility for safety further than its own facility. The company’s Power System Solutions trucks will now carry automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) to assist in the event that a team member, client, or contractor suffers a sudden cardiac arrest onsite or during travel. The trucks will be marked externally to bring attention to the fact they contain an AED so even members of the general public will benefit from S&C’s preparedness.  

“This is just the beginning,” Gravina says. “Our commitment of 100% safety surpasses all other targets. The S&C team is like family, and we want to continue to enjoy a long, safe working relationship.”