DuPont has announced the winners of the 13th Edition of the DuPont Safety and Sustainability Awards. The awards recognize outstanding intiatives aimed at enhancing workplace safety, sustainability and operational effectiveness.
Among the winners was BC Ferries (British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. and BC Ferry & Marine Workers’ Union) for the Global Safety Award.
“We are very pleased that our hard work and commitment to improve safety in our business has led us to be recognized internationally as the winner of the DuPont Global Safety Award,” said Mark Collins, president and CEO of BC Ferries. “I am proud to say that over the last decade, we have transformed our safety culture, processes and performance to deliver a safer workplace for our employees, and safer operations for our customers.”
“Our employees were at the heart of this initiative, providing more than 4,500 recommendations for improvements. These suggestions were incorporated into a series of 90 action plans. Implemention of these plans led to a significant reduction in safety critical incidents, improved reporting, but more importantly a 90 percent improvement in the employee safety index and a close to 60 per cent reduction in passenger injuries. I am extremely proud of our people for their engagement and commitment to excellence in safety.”
“Through our journey in SailSafe we have seen a dramatic decline in workplace injuries, and the successes have been tangible and directly attributable to the members and employees on the ground who drive the program,” said Graeme Johnston, president of the BC Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union.
“This prestigious award is not an indication that we have gone far enough, but a reminder of how much more we can achieve if resolved to work together on the tough issues that remain and the new issues that may arise — the hardest miles are still ahead, and we are hopeful we can tackle them together.”
“We are very pleased to recognize BC Ferries for their achievements and commitment to safety excellence,” said Davide Vassallo, managing director, DuPont Sustainable Solutions. “Like DuPont, they believe that progress in safety performance allows companies to not only become better corporate citizens, but more competitive and effective.”
Jury President Mieke Jacobs, executive coach with 20 years of operations management experience at DuPont, said that jury members were particularly impressed by both the quality and quantity of the projects submitted for consideration this year. “This growth is quite heartening, as I feel quite strongly that the recognition of positive contributions to workplace safety and corporate sustainability is crucial in galvanising the public and private sectors to promote and pursue improvement projects.”
