Kruger's Corner Brook, Newfoundland, newsprint mill breaks previous safety record, going 100 days without a recordable incident as of Sept. 20; record was achieved despite recent C$2M maintenance shutdown in which more than 100 contractors were brought in

Debra Garcia

LOS ANGELES , September 26, 2013 (Industry Intelligence) – Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Ltd. has broken its previous safety record of 96 consecutive days without a recordable incident, according to the mill’s safety supervisor, Dave Murphy, reported The Western Star on Sept. 24.

Since the mill was bought by Kruger Inc. in 1984, it had a previous safety record of 96 days, from Dec. 6, 2006 to March 13, 2007. As of Sept. 20, it had been 100 days since the latest recordable safety incident, which was on June 11.

The new record was achieved despite a recent C$2-million annual shutdown in which 100 contractors were brought in to the mill to do maintenance during the week, said Murphy, The Western Star reported.

A recordable injury is one that needs something more than just first aid, such as some sort of medical treatment from a doctor or a hospital.

To avoid accidents during the maintenance work, at least 55 safety orientations were done involving those contract workers, many of who were not familiar with the mill’s internal operations, Murphy said.

Now the mill aims for another safety milestone of 2.0 recordable incidents per 200,000 hours worked, which it has never achieved. So far this year, the mill’s rate is 1.5, with three recordable incidents, reported The Western Star.

The mill has changed its safety culture. It requires an incident report and an investigation even when only minor first aid is needed. Employees also must do at least one anonymous safety report on a fellow worker each week.

The Corner Brook mill has two paper machines with an annual production capacity of 250,000 tonnes of newsprint made from thermomechanical pulp, according to the company’s website.

The primary source of this article is The Western Star, Corner Brook, Newfoundland, on Sept. 24, 2013.

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