Speaking SafeWork with Karine

Our ambition in the workplace is to become a leader in safety and eliminate work-related fatalities and injuries. To achieve this, we must identify and manage health and safety hazards in our workplace. To help realize this goal, we launched SafeWork to provide a common global foundation to build our culture of safety worldwide.

The Speaking SafeWork series aims to keep the SafeWork conversation going and keep safety top of mind for all employees and contractors. In this interview, we connect with Karine, Purification Operator (bridge qualified) at the Canadian Copper Refinery (CCR).

To me, SafeWork is all about taking a moment to look and think before starting a task. It's about asking whether everything is safe, in order to prevent injuries and ensure that everyone gets home in good shape at the end of the day.

Since I got here, these standards have become an integral part of how I work. It was new to me at first, but these protocols remind us why it’s important to take the time to check that the environment is safe before starting a task.

They also encourage us not to take anything for granted: equipment might have been moved, or a situation may have changed. The idea is to always take a moment to analyze before acting.

Regular health and safety checks are very useful, because they keep risks in sight.

For example, a few years ago in the purification sector, it was discovered that steel chains had been installed following a replacement. Since steel can produce arsine in contact with electrolysis and heat, the risk was quickly identified. We therefore proposed replacing them with stainless steel chains to eliminate this hazard.

This kind of approach is a good example of how risks can be identified and practices improved.

To me, vigilance and communication are essential. It's important to ensure that colleagues understand each other before carrying out a step.

At the moment, I'm working with a crane, so eye contact with the ground crew is essential. I have to make sure they've seen me and are aware of what comes next in the protocol.

Working positions and crane movements are also crucial to pay attention to. Because the crane operator can't see everything, it's essential to keep checking with the ground crew that the path is clear before moving forward.

Yes. Time and training help you develop the reflex to assess risks before taking action. I've even found myself applying some of these reflexes at home.

This approach makes us more aware of hazards and more attentive to how we perform tasks, both at work and in everyday life.