As the Durham region consortium continues to grow, I am very pleased with the number of organizations that are turning out for these fantastic events.  EMC is aggressively looking to turn it up in the next couple of months; we will be creating opportunities for you to bench mark world class organizations, bring in specials guest speakers to discuss issues pertaining to manufacturing and work with the Economic Development Community in your area to continue to bring you these great events.

It is always amazing to me that organizations are sometimes hesitant to get out of their buildings to see what others are doing in theirs!  These SIG meetings are a great way to build up your network in a personal manner as opposed to an electronic network.  I am always happy when I see people getting out from their four walls (their box) to see what others are doing in theirs!  If you want to think outside the box, you need to get outside of your box…and see what others have already done!  I look forward to seeing you out at these Strategic Interest Group Events.

In April, we had a great turnout to a very special Strategic Interest Group Meeting at Nelson Industrial Inc. to listen to Special guest speaker Yvonne O'Reilly talk about Simple Techniques for Effectively Investigating Workplace Incidents.  This was an interactive presentation that saw everyone getting involved and participating in the activities that Yvonne presented…everyone walked away with new, easy to implement ideas regarding the investigation of workplace incidents.

This presentation can be viewed on the Durham Region home page at: Click here for presentation

I would like to personally thank Graham Cuthbertson and Dorin Radu at Nelson Industrial Inc. and their team for hosting this great event.  Nelson Industrial was also gracious enough to provide plant tours of their facilities on Squires Beach Rd. Whitby…the response I have received about the activities at Nelson Industrial have been extremely positive.

Exerts from the presentation.

Incident Response Plan:

• Assists in dealing with immediate medical & safety concerns
• Guideline for addressing legal consequences
• Ensures consistent communication
• Prevents Recurrences
• Captures Near Misses
• Preservation of Scene
• Role of and Interactions With MOL
• Investigation & Follow-Up Procedures

Yvonne also talked extensively about:

• Reporting Requirements - ON:
• Investigation Kits:
• Scene Management:
• Investigation Techniques:
• Conducting the Investigation:
• External Investigations:

Incident Response Plan Summary:

• Define Written Plan and Roles
• Manage Immediate Concerns
• Designate Internal Investigator
• Compile Documentation
• Track Ongoing Communication
• Implement Preventative Measures & Share Lessons Learned

It was a great session and I was very happy to see all that came out, I know that everyone left with some valuable information and some great ideas.  Until next time,

Make it a great day,

Cheers,

Kevin.