SAFETY FIRST
Dee Golnitz of Votorantim Cimentos focuses on keeping everyone safe and sound.
Q: What is your job title (include a general description of what your job encompasses)?
My job title is “Health and Safety Representative” Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates division. My job is to manage the Health and Safety program for the entire CBM Aggregate division. We have approximately 15 active sites. I work with the Operations team to ensure the Health & Safety policies and procedures are up-to-date and reviewed on an annual basis. I research current information on safety best practices for the industry and deliver it to our group through various methods such as Tailgate Talks and Safety Meetings. I am on the road travelling from site to site on a regular basis to stay in touch with employees on a face to face level maintaining communication with managers, supervisors, and hourly employees to ensure all safety needs are being met at every site.
Q: What is it about your job that other people wish they got to do?
I have the opportunity to travel around to different locations throughout east and west Ontario, interacting with many different people, learning something new from all of them. Working with such a dynamic team allows me to complete initiatives within the company. A great example of one of these initiatives is our e-SLAM program. Originally SLAM (Stop Look Analyse Manage) was a paper job risk analysis program designed to “identify the hazards existing in workplace activities through a careful observation of the environment around the job task, the equipment involved and required steps of the job task”. We have taken it to an entirely new level and gone electronic! Now all our employees don’t just SLAM – they e-SLAM! Employees out in the plant can identify risks associated with the jobs they are doing, and the data is tracked and compared site to site. What an awesome initiative! Achieving personal goals is also rewarding, for example; participating in committees inside and outside of CBM and becoming engaged one on one with the employees I work with allows me to contribute to the Aggregate industry in the field of safety in very different ways giving me a true feeling of accomplishment – who wouldn’t want to have all that? Going home from work every day feeling pride for what you do, who you do it for, and enjoying being with the people you work with is an amazing feeling – I think this is probably something everyone wishes they had, and I can say I have it.
Q: Describe your typical day on the job and how the work you do contributes to your company.
I don’t really have a “typical” day on the job – every day is different! Some days might be administrative days where I work on my computer all day, researching, preparing tailgate talks or safety meetings, answering email, making phone calls, reviewing policies, data entry, going to meetings, etc. However, information distribution is an important contribution to the company. Other days I might be out at a site, doing an incident investigation, assisting in a workplace inspection as part of an eye exchange -no, this is not a medical procedure! It is an opportunity for employees from different sites to go to other sites within CBM and participate in inspections. Having another set of eyes look for hazards at the workplace helps avoid complacency and is a great way to share best practices between sites. At times I may just be doing a site tour talking with employees, listening to concerns or, just engaging in conversation. Anytime I have the opportunity to talk with employees we can learn from each other and then share our knowledge throughout the company. Sharing knowledge allows us all to contribute to the company in so many different ways. In my opinion this is the most important contribution I can make to the company.
Q: How did you get interested in this job/field?
During my time spent at Fanshawe College working towards the Human Resources Management Certificate, I took a course in safety - this is what originally sparked my interest in the field. At the time I was working in transportation in the administrative department. Upon completion of my HR Certificate, a job in safety was offered to me - I jumped at the opportunity for something new. Once I started… I never looked back! Safety became more than just my “job”, it became an important part of my life. I took it home with me. It wasn’t just about keeping my co-workers safe anymore, it became more about keeping everyone around me safe – especially my family.
Q: Detail your past and/or ongoing education as it is relevant to your job.
I earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario where I majored in Sociology – I have always enjoyed being around people. When my kids were a bit younger, I was working full time, I made a decision to continue my education at Fanshawe College through night courses, completing a 3 year Human Resources Management Certificate Program. Shortly before joining CBM I earned my Certified Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) designation. Now, in order to stay current with whatever changes may come up in safety, I regularly participate in training courses relevant to job tasks myself or CBM employees are encountering – for example; Working at Heights, Qualitative Fit Test Workshop, Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) Certification, Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities (MTCU) Train-the-Trainer, etc.