Page 2 - Graypvine August 2022

Safety trash can. When you have enough trash receptacles

around the project and you keep them emptied,
with Jim Grant people use them. Once safety climate became a
Vice President, Safety
Gray, Inc. focus, it was amazing that in a matter of two weeks
you could feel the project was making positive
A Valuable Lesson changes. It was an eye-opening experience for me to
This will be my 35th year at Gray, and over those see the transformation. It reinforced the idea that you
35 years I have learned valuable lessons from many could have an elaborate safety program, but unless
people and situations. I have just recently learned a you get the craft person and contractor management
valuable lesson about our safety program and the engaged in safety in a positive way, we may not hit
importance of how creating a strong safety climate our safety goals.
has such a positive effect on safety performance. We If programs, policies, and planning for safety
currently have a large project being executed with success are the “bones” of a safety program, an
2 550 plus craft workers on site each day. A couple engaging, positive, and proactive safety climate is the
of months ago, the number of incidents occurring “skin” that holds it all together. No single element will
on that site became concerning. Here is where the excel without a strong safety climate in place.
valuable lesson comes in. The Site TEAM, determined What this team accomplished confirms that for Gray
to curb the number of incidents, put their heads Inc. to have safety success, it’s critical that Leadership,
together and started to focus their attention not on Project Management, Site Management and Safety
more safety rules, but on enhancing the safety climate Management demonstrate their commitment in safety.
of the project. They focused on setting a climate that Everyone must communicate that commitment to
is positive, pro-active, and engages the craft worker workers and reinforce good safety behaviors. Leaders
and contractor management. Also, there was a strong at all levels influence the safety climate. Leaders’
effort in keeping the project clean and organized that influence is especially important by setting a good
exceeds what we typically see on our projects. I never example and holding each other and contractors
thought I would say this, but I saw the power of a accountable in a positive way.

Safety Statistics Commitment to Safety

All statistics reported for Gray are cumulative for Calendar Year 2022

0 Fatality Eric Tanguay
Director, Pulp & Paper
Majors
10 (Disabling Accidents) 1 year, 1 month with Gray
Recordable Accident
50 (Off Work, Limited Work,
and No Lost Time)

160 103 "Having come recently from Georgia Pacific, where
the focus on safety is first and foremost, transitioning
to the Gray team has been easy. Safety is a necessary
Near Miss / Property Damage First Aid / Injury but not recordable
regulatory requirement where safety incidents are
often downplayed and hidden from the workforce,
A goal of zero lost time incidents means there is a level of acceptance of other types of and the individual is blamed when incidents happen.
incidents that do not lead to lost time. When other incidents are accepted, then we increase
the chance that lost time, and more severe incidents will occur. The triangle graphic above At Gray, safety is out in the open, incidents are shared
is an illustration of this. Gray’s focus is to stop all incidents, by starting at the very bottom of as they happen, and individuals are encouraged to
the triangle. If we eliminate all incidents, then we eliminate the possibility of the catastrophic engage and share experiences to ensure everyone
incident. By definition, a lost time incident is an injury event that causes a worker to miss at on Gray job sites go home to their families. I feel
least one day of work. A safety incident is any event that needs to be tracked and recorded
regardless of whether medical attention was required or not. responsible and empowered to maintain this culture."