12 2017 AUGUST FOREST SAFETY NEWS SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS

Training

Variety of safety topics at the 2017 Interior Safety Conference (ISC 2017) in Prince George

ISC 2017: Supervisors are key to safety cultureMike Tasker, WorkSafeBC, spoke on

effective supervision systems in a safety culture. Mike has given this speech at several industry conferences and it is always well-received. He bases his shared learnings from 20 years of looking at supervision and what works for good safety practices and systems in organizations. Supervisors will always be one of the most significant influencers in safety culture and operational performance in any organization, no matter the size or industry. See www.supervisingforsafety.com to learn more.

“Research is becoming very, very clear. If an organization wants to succeed in health and safety then it will succeed in overall operational success – the greatest predictor if bad things are going to happen in your organization is directly related to whether you have a negative or positive perception about safety culture,” said Mike.

“And if you want to create a positive safety culture then the best way to do that is to have good supervisors and a good system of supervision,” he said.

Over the past decade, supervisor roles and responsibilities have changed. Conference delegates quickly offered up examples from their own experiences: more paperwork; more accountability; more education; role in workplace has changed pretty dramatically; need to be a leader, a coach, a psychologist, a motivator; do more with less and a whole lot of soft skills required while being more strategic!

Mike emphasized many qualities of a good supervisory system and reminded everyone that supervising requires action … supervisors have to be out there measuring performance; they have to be engaged with the people they are responsible for and “if you can’t get out there and supervise then you are not meeting the minimum expectation of a supervisor”.

The one-day 2017 Interior Safety Conference (ISC 2017): “Leading safety – building strong supervisors” kicked off in Prince George on May 27 with more than 100 delegates in attendance.

Master of Ceremonies Darren Beattie, of Conifex, introduced Clifford Quaw, of Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, who then welcomed all delegates and speakers to the territory and wished everyone a safe journey home. BC Forest Safety Council (BCFSC) CEO Rob Moonen set the stage with a summary of industry’s safety record and the current focus on high risk forest harvesting and manufacturing activities to reduce fatalities and serious injuries.

Rob said he had been in role as CEO for just over a year and with the organization for just over seven years. He said things had changed from the

time when he met with contractors and licensees and they felt “that the BCFSC was doing something to industry rather than for industry”. Now there are 11 different industry safety advisory groups made up of members at the operational level leading injury reduction efforts supported by the BCFSC.

He said that industry had seen reductions in fatalities and serious injuries over time, but almost all of the low hanging fruit had been taken and the question for further improvement and sustainable change was how do we change the culture? Rob said supervisors play a significant role in changing culture. Rob added that research (DuPont benchmarking) had indicated that 95% of incidents were caused by behaviour and 90% of that behaviour was based on what employees think leadership believes is important to the success of the business – not what is in the company’s vision and mission

statements but what is said and not said and acted upon and not acted upon – it’s how people interpret signals from leadership, including supervisors, that form peoples’ beliefs. “Until we can all act consistently in those beliefs, we won’t change culture,” said Rob.

Rob Moonen, BC Forest Safety Council CEO, talks to fallers about safety at a WorkSafeBC-hosted pre-conference session.

WorkSafeBC’s Mike Tasker talks about the importance of good supervisory systems and good supervisors in creating a safety culture.

Mike shared the key safety responsibilities of a supervisory system.

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After sharing the skills that a supervisor needs, Mike said that many supervisors say they are not getting the tools and skills they need to be successful in their critical role in the safety management system. Organizations need to consider the following questions:

• How do we educate, train and supervise our supervisors?

• Have we developed standards to ensure consistent knowledge and skills enhancement?

• How do we evaluate the education and training of our supervisors?

• How do we supervise our supervisors?

• How do we measure the quality of our supervision system?

Engaged employees are safe employeesOn the importance of engagement workers, Mike shared some statistics from a Molson/Coors study which found that engaged employees in the organization were five times less likely than disengaged employees to have a safety incident, and engaged employees were seven times less likely to have a lost-time safety incident. The average cost of a safety incident for an engaged employee was $63 while the average cost of a safety incident for a disengaged employee was $392.

Similarly when it comes to quality, customer service, cost control and loyalty, highly engaged employees score significantly higher in believing they can positively impact quality, customer service experiences and impact costs to their business than those employees who are disengaged (Partnership in Mental Health finding).

ISC 2017: Sleep required for safe, productive humansClinton Marquardt, fatigue consultant, delivered excerpts from his fatigue seminar in one break-out session at the conference. Please see the previous edition of Forest Safety News for coverage of a similar presentation by Clinton: http://www.bcforestsafe.org/files/ForestSafetyNewsletter_2017June.pdf (pages 10 and 11).

ISC 2017: Increasing number of steep slope logging machines operating in BCDzhamal Amishev, of FP Innovations (FPI), discussed steep slope logging technology and provided background on FPI and the work that has been done relating to steep slope harvesting in the province.

He said FPI had more than 400 employees across Canada with many of the major forestry sector employers being members.

The organization carries out research in partnership with universities and is currently looking at the forest sector value chain.

He said that getting fibre safely and efficiently to the mills was key and there were three areas of concern: people re safety and labour shortages; fibre re harvesting the fibre supply and costs to harvest; and impacts on the eco system – how environmentally friendly are the processes?

Dzhamal said that one in three hand fallers got injured in 2015 while injury rate in mechanized falling was lower than the provincial injury rate average; if you put people into cabs the risk of injury is much less. Three years ago industry approached FPI to help enhance safety with the objective of achieving a 50% reduction in injuries by introducing more mechanization and properly trained operators.

In May 2017 there were 10 manufacturers offering the BC forestry industry different machines within two major types of steep slope harvesting systems – either integrated (with winches attached directly to machines) and tied to an anchor point; or anchor machines that sit on a road or landing, and house and power the winch and provide assistance to another machine working on the steep slope. In addition in Washington, T-MAR has a remote controlled machine that is being tested and an 11th manufacturer is looking to roll out another option later in 2017. So there are lots of options and many variables with the obvious question being what is best?

Dzhamal said that a 52-page report had been put out by FPI just covering the basics describing each machine – what it is and how it works to help communicate out to industry and then post updates on a dedicated LinkedIn forum. With about 30 machines operating in Western Canada and a further 20 planned (mostly BC but a couple in Alberta), he said FPI was now looking at building best practices guides for winch assist operations.

Grapple cameras for grapple yarders are now being used to help reduce risks for people spotting for cable yarding and foggy days. He said cameras for example cost about $20,000 and pay for themselves. TimberWest and T-MAR Industries were recently in the news (Lake Cowichan Gazette: http://www.lakecowichangazette.com/news/new-cameras-makes-logging-safer/) for taking grapple camera technology out of New Zealand and perfecting it for BC operational conditions.

FPI closely follows all international developments as well as incidents to help fully inform good decision-making here in Canada. Dzhamal said best practices needed to be developed based on the learnings from across the world. The first draft of such an online document on wire ropes used in winch assist operations was published shortly after the presentation here: https://fpinnovations.ca/Extranet/Pages/AssetDetails.aspx?item=/Extranet/Assets/ResearchReportsFO/TR2017N36.pdf#.WWeSwITyuos

Some of the skills a supervisor needs.

Dzhamal Amishev, of FP Innovations, provided an update on steep slope logging in BC along with the safety record in BC and around the world. This slide (background) shows safety related incidents with steep slope machines in New Zealand, which have included cable failures, anchor tip-overs, winch drum detachment from anchor, cable releases from rub tree, failed attachment points and broken shackles.

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TrainingISC 2017: Effective organizations know that every generation has preferred communication methodsSasja Chomos, of New Quest Coaching, shared her thoughts on what it takes for organizations to communicate successfully with different generations of workers.

Sasja Chomos, of New Quest Coaching explained the preferences that different generations have about how they prefer to communicate and the impacts that has in the workplace.

Every generation has a preference for how they most like to communicate.

Opening up discussion with the floor Sasja quickly proved that there are a lot of different perceptions and assumptions about communicating and that most of us are not ready for the change that is already upon us – the attraction, engagement and retention of the next generations of workers.

The biggest challenge in many ways is the incorrect perceptions that one generation has of another generation and the potential barriers those perceptions can create in the workplace. Just one example is that Millennials (otherwise known as Gen Yers) have affected the future of the cereal business. They are so keen to get to work that they despise the sloppy requirement of having to add milk to cereal; they would much rather eat on the go so they have become “bowl-haters” but older generations just see them as those lazy Millennials!

If we are going to progress we have to challenge our own perceptions and the

assumptions that we make about all the generations in the workplace. We need to look really hard at the strengths of each group.

History and changes in society have brought us to the point for the first time where we are dealing with three to four generations working side by side … and the next group will start entering the workforce in 2020.

There are a number of prejudicial stereotypes that are associated with each generation but really have no foundation in fact. Consider the older guys saying of the younger guys: “They are just a bunch of slackers” or the younger crew saying of the wise: “Because he’s older he thinks he knows everything”, etc.

Traditionalists (seniors) will soon be out of the workforce – they can tell you they walked uphill both ways to school in bare feet; have the best work ethic; put their heads down and work hard; don’t waste anything and always make the most of everything. Baby boomers are resourceful, competitive, hardworking and have shaped society as we know it today; that massive bubble of people we built more schools and universities for and now more hospitals and golf courses … all for baby boomers. Boomers have been influenced by the atomic age, economic prosperity, child-friendly culture, civil rights movement, communist threat, birth control pill, lunar landing, Vietnam war; and while this cohort makes up most of today’s leaders, they are workaholics, with a solid strong work

ethic, but getting ready to retire. These folk are generally straightforward, logical, avoid change, are out to build a legacy, do more with less, and are used to hierarchical organizational structures.

How to communicate to boomers: (advice to younger generations): respect their face to face interpersonal communication skills and learn from them. Opt for face to face or voice communication when possible. Understand that internet information is not a substitute for real-world experience.

Gen Xs like the generation before them have been given a bad rap. They are perceived as having trouble making decisions; having a poor work ethic; no respect for corporate life. They, however had to undo the damage that baby boomers created in establishing a 60-hour work week. Gen Xs created work-life balance that baby boomers had destroyed. Gen X influences have been Sesame Street, MTV, Game Boy, PC, latch-key kids and a tripled divorce rate among their parents.

Characteristics: eclectic, resourceful, self-reliant, at times distrustful of institutions (like marriage and bureaucracies) and are highly adaptive to change and technology. This generation learned to be extremely independent because they also saw their parents being laid off – didn’t want to be part of that work culture where companies are not always loyal; workers would no longer devote themselves to one company, creating a massive shift to what was happening in our society.

Working and communicating with Gen Xs means you need to prove yourself to them to gain their respect. They are now at an age where they have seen a lot so get to the point. They still value in-person face to face communication but email is important to them. They expect change and handle it well. They will work hard but are not big fans of constant overtime; want work-life balance and a flexible schedule.

Generation Y (Millennials) have brought a lot of education to the work place and global perspective (because of the internet). They are perceived as the me/entitled generation – remembered for their constant streams of “selfies” and the selfie stick; that is part of the bad wrap they get, but not recognized for the strengths that they bring to our workforce.

In just this year (2017) for the first time, baby boomers who used to be our largest labour force have been surpassed by Millennials in the Canadian workforce. The tipping point is here this year and as employers, managers and supervisors we need to become more innovative and how do we bring this generation into work camps that has no wi-fi? This generation has been influenced by living through real time the biggest, most traumatic natural disasters, violence, diversity – exposed to every single crisis in the world through their 24/7 connectivity

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(above) Ken Falk of Switchback Training Solutions shared what it takes to build strong teams, starting with awareness of how everyone’s past experiences shape their currents responses to all situations.

to the world. As a result, they are more globally concerned, realistic, cyber-literate, need/expect to be engaged, hard wired to the internet. When in doubt, they go to Google or Facebook, etc. They were raised by helicopter parents – from daycare report sheets that specified what they ate when to how long they napped to washroom breaks. Safety was becoming a major concern; era of America’s Most Wanted; missing kids on milk cartons, etc. A social media “ping” for this generation is the same type of addiction as smoking, drinking, or gambling was for previous generations. It’s their smart phones that provide the dopamine “hit” so no one should still wonder why this generation can’t go without being constantly connected to their social networks. They are not going to let go of the smart phone because their brains need it.

Sasja said that throughout their entire lives the Gen Ys have been challenged by their parents and teachers to have opinions and ideas and to logically be able to argue their case. And they have been told that they can be anything they want and still get a prize even if they come in last which devalues the prize for the kid who came in first and the last is embarrassed because he/she didn’t earn it … and then we wonder why they show up and feel entitled in the work place!

Knowledge is power. Boomers were raised with it. But for Millennials, power is gained by sharing knowledge not hoarding it. They want to collaborate; it might seem like they are in your face all the time; and, they want to do it via technology. We have to respect their social networking and technology skills and use this to your advantage when communicating with them.

She said that while the message does not need to change, how you get the message across might need to change.

“Understand their need to collaborate. Focus on how they can make a difference at work or in the world. They need to be supported and appreciated regularly. (Remember they are used to parents hovering over them all the time!) If you can harness their strengths, this is a workforce that becomes unstoppable,” said Sasja.

She also reminded everyone that every generation has had a bad rap. We just forget over time and the bad rap is on the latest generation.

“Never forget how you were raised and how you did things has a huge influence on what you expect in the workplace. Don’t always believe the hype and don’t automatically stereotype the person. Look for what is similar and avoid dismissing what is different,” said Sasja.

As humans we all want to be seen and heard and know what we are doing matters – everyone wants the same thing, no matter what generation they are from, we are all human first.

People can change. Power of success is teamIt all starts with the foundational piece – the brain which is in a continuum state from passive to aggressive, where literally at the front of the brain: good things happen there at the back of the brain: not such good things. Team success is happens when 90% of your thinking is done at the front of your brain.

Leading a team, needs confidence which includes a little bit of aggression but not too much. If people run for the hills then you are too aggressive but if you are too passive and the inmates are running the asylum, that is not good either, explained Ken.

He said adrenaline tended to send you to the back part of the brain … flight or fight response or you hop from one to the other and back again ramping up the mountains in diagram (above).

Ken explained that we have a safety culture and to build strong teams you have to keep your entire team in the red team success bubble so that you don’t drive your team into flight or fight mode.

Starting when we were just kids we heard things and reacted to things and then later in life others can say similar things that take us right back to the same fight of flight responses we felt as kids … because our brains only really have two options: back or front. We remember and use our safety knowledge, training or experience when we’re thinking with the front of the brain and react and ignore this information when using the back of the brain. Under the influence of adrenaline strange things happen. Blood that the brain needs either drains to legs to flight or arms to fight.

When we fear – we also get a bump in adrenaline e.g. when an animal runs out in front of the vehicle and it can take up to three days to get back to equilibrium. Some people need that adrenaline hit so much that they will pick fights every three days! Leaders need to know how these situations impact things; need to develop situational awareness as to where your crew is at and use tools to keep them in front parts of their brains, supporting safety and safety culture.

The full Switchback program can run over several days. Learn more here: http://www.switchbacksafe.com/

ISC 2017: Understanding thoughts and managing memories to better shape performance

Ken Falk, of Switchback Training Solutions, spoke on building strong teams, in large part by understanding the concept of Switchback = metacognition; understanding your thoughts and managing your memories.

16 2017 AUGUST FOREST SAFETY NEWS SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS

Training

The BC Forest Safety Council director of training and program development, Russel Robertson, provided an update to the Interior Safety Conference delegates on the considerable work done by industry in the development of competency tools to train future forestry sector workers – whether fallers, log haulers, or equipment operators, etc.

The yarding occupation competency tools will be tested in spring 2018 with Western Forest Products. Anyone else who would like to test them may contact the BC Forest Safety Council.

The BC Forest Safety Council director of training and program development, Russel Robertson, provided an update on the considerable work done by industry in the development of competency tools to train future forestry sector workers – whether fallers, log haulers, or logging equipment operators, etc.

He said industry had taken international best practices and distilled them into how to develop a qualified workforce for forestry.

Education, training, experience, confidence, integrityIndustry can use the training, assessment and other tools online, via paper or through blended learning where there is a combination of theory and practical learning.

Qualified trainers will deliver the on the job training after the trainee has the underlying knowledge needed, to a single set of standards.

Russel said that the yarding materials will be tested with a new worker training program that is being supported by Western Forest Products. He said that industry was also getting ready to conduct New Faller Training pilot this fall.

He said all three sectors – industry falling, BC Wildfire Service and oil and gas (Enform) were all working together to achieve a harmonized way of using one set of learning materials for all settings.

He said that all learning resources would be managed and accessed in an online learning management system, Totara, and will be available free of charge to everyone to ensure industry has a defensible system to prove that qualified workers are in all occupations.

Future competencies and training that will be developed include road building, log transportation, and mechanized harvesting including steep slope/winch assist operations. Russel said that log truck driver training had been successfully piloted out of the Prince George transportation office and 100% employment had been secured for all the trainees.

If you would like additional information, please email messier@bcforestsafe.org or call toll-free 1-877-741-1060.

ISC 2017: Update on using competency tools to train forestry sector workers

ISC 2017: Fit for duty is key driver for any A&D program to ensure health and safety

Tom Yearwood, of Denning Health Group, provided an update on workplace alcohol and drug programs.

He reminded everyone that the focus of any drug and a policy is to improve health and safety. Every worker has to be fit for duty at all times while at work and must be free from the adverse effects of alcohol or drug user including prescription or over the counter meds. He said that medical marijuana and legalized marijuana does not impact fit for duty and a supervisor/employer’s responsibility to ensure all workers are fit to work, regardless of any cause of impairment.

Guenter Stahl (left) from the Rotary Club of Prince George Yellowhead receives a donation from the BC Forest Safety Council program development manager, Gerard Messier. The donation, made in lieu of conference speakers’ gifts will go towards the club’s Adventures in Forestry and Environmental Studies program. Learn more about the program here: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/760/SitePage/vocational-service/adventures-in-forestry.

ISC 2017: Giving back to community

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The award is a custom-built log truck that will be awarded for the first time at the 2018 Interior Safety Conference.

New safety award launched at ISC 2017:

The MaryAnne Arcand Memorial Forest Safety Award

ISC 2017: Thanks to generous supportThe conference was made possible

by the generous support of sponsors: Canfor, Edgewater Solutions, Wilson Bros., Pinnacle Renewable Energy, FP Innovations, WorkSafeBC and the BCFSC, and the efforts of the organizing committee: Darren Beattie, Conifex; Glen Bjorklund, Edgewater Holdings Ltd.; Lisa Houle, WorkSafeBC; Mike Nash, Outdoor Safety Author; Steven Mueller, Pinnacle Renewable Energy; Tyson von den Steinen, Canfor; Gerard Messier and Trish Kohorst, BC Forest Safety Council.

ISC 2017: Videos of the presentationsEdited copies of the presentations are

available to view on the BCFSC You Tube channel, accessible here: https://www.youtube.com/user/BCForestSafety.

The MaryAnne Arcand Memorial Forest Safety Award has launched at the 2017 Interior Safety Conference. The first time it will be awarded is at the 2018 conference and aims to honour log hauler safety and/or health and wellness in the interior, in MaryAnne’s memory.

For more information on this award and the nomination form, please contact Gerard Messier at messier@bcforestsafe.org. The deadline for nominations is April 15, 2018.