North Atlantic employees have been steadily developing a culture of sound occupational health and safety practices for several
years now. We've broken new ground with our safe work habits, placing us among the top safety performers in the province and in the industry. We have individually accepted
responsibility for our actions related to workplace safety. Each and every employee at North Atlantic
deserves the gratitude and admiration of coworkers, families and neighbours for this outstanding example of self-respect amd respect for one another.
North Atlantic is a leader in health and safety. For the two-year period from November 2006 to November 2008, we lost just one day to injury (a minor back
injury), that's 2.7 MILLION person-hours of work. Based on provincial statistics, a typical Newfoundland workplace had 30 lost-time injuries over the same period of time. We credit our declining injury rate to many factors including:
Individual employee acceptance of responsibility for safety
Company expectations and support for safety above all other priorities
Adoption of industry best practices and procedures
Award-winning employee training rewarding us with the best skilled employees for the job
No one thing or one person makes a company safe. It's a combination of well-trained people, a solid safety management program, and a commitment from all
of us to do the safest job possible, every day.
Safety is a mindset. A mindset that takes time to develop and gain acceptance for. An injury-free workplace is something we strive for every minute of every day. That’s why we’re enjoying our refinery’s best safety performance in history.
How did we get here?
Integrated management system: Helped us develop improved safety policies and procedures, and outlined a whole new way of demonstrating safety commitment from the top. Full management support and leadership are key.
Process hazard analysis: Each and every unit in our refining process has been thoroughly analysed for potential risks. Safe measures are in place to help control these risks.
Job safety analysis: We thoroughly review every step of every job to pinpoint safety concerns and address them before the job starts. Know what you're getting into before you get into it - that’s our job-safety motto.
Task safety assessment: Identify additional safety concerns that may have been missed through other processes. These concerns are documented and eliminated before work begins.
Incident investigations: Through the Industrial Accident Prevention Association’s safety management program, we established an extensive incident investigation program. Each incident is fully evaluated to determine the root cause, and actions are taken to prevent recurrence.
Risk management: Equipment inspections detect safety concerns before issues develop. Our in-house, National Board-certified inspectors have the expertise and high-tech tools required to determine the integrity and longevity of our operating equipment.
Emergency response: Our highly-qualified safety technicians and expertly-trained emergency responders help keep us safe every day. We have the best fire fighters, first aid/CPR technicians, and oil spill response team. On any given shift, there are more than a dozen trained responders and a team of dedicated safety technicians on site.
Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (CRSP): Two in-house CRSPs have extensive knowledge of health and safety principles and practices. They offer professional safety guidance to employees, management, and to our joint Occupational Health and Safety committee.
Certified health & safety consultants: Two in-house safety consultants provide professional safety guidance to our entire organization.
Award-winning education and training: Our programs give employees the knowledge and confidence needed to be the best at their job, and take ownership of their own safety and that of their coworkers. Employees are held accountable for safety, and are rewarded for strong safety performance.
Over $1 billion invested: Steady refinery performance and safety go hand-in-hand. Our equipment is setting operation records and running longer and stronger than ever. Growing multi-million dollar investments into our operation go a long way toward securing a safe, prosperous future.
