On April 24, the Langley Small Packaging facility was awarded the Manufacturing Safety Innovator Award for Workplace Wellness at the annual British Columbia Safety Pinnacle Awards Gala. The gala is held by the Manufacturing Safety Alliance of British Columbia each year and recognizes the continuing achievements or investments made by organizations in safety management systems.
The Langley facility received this award in recognition of the preventative stretch program that was implemented in 2015 to mitigate the risks associated with repetitive strain injury (RSI). Through collaboration with a personal trainer and ergonomist, a daily stretching program was developed and is performed during pre-shift daily huddle meetings and encouraged throughout the workday. Stretches are catered to the specific job and task of each team to maximize the benefit to employees.
A personal training and ergonomist is available in the facility once a month to support the program, provide guidance and assist employees focusing on RSI prevention. Additionally, the facility provides training sessions on personal safety topics such as back safety, safe lifting, and the importance of core body use to prevent strains and sprains. Sessions are coordinated so all employee on all shifts have access to the support and training. Ongoing reinforcement is provided through visual posters, take home handout that include additional stretching suggestions, and toolbox talks.
In 2019, the program will expand to develop an in-depth risk assessment on all task movements for each material being produced and provide ongoing training on proper body movement to inflict the least amount of physical strain and stress.
Congratulation to the team in Langley for this award in recognition of a continuous commitment to employee safety.