Another year, another Safety Award winner. Today, we’re in the Great White North at our Winnipeg branch. We’re proud to say that Winnipeg has won the 2019 Manufacturing Safety Award. This award is presented to the shop with the best health and safety record. Here’s the full story.

Winnipeg knew they were good at safety. But tracking their performance in detail was somewhat of a challenge. Their solution was to separate the shop’s numbers from the overall branch. Before, all the numbers were combined, and it was impossible to track the shop’s performance. Now, they know exactly what’s going on. They also posted their safety stats where everyone could see them to reinforce Flynn’s commitment to safety.

Next, they created a specific safety program and inspections for their shop.

Finally, every crew member from top to bottom became engaged in upholding the highest safety standards. This was done through the “Safety Share.” Before each meeting, Winnipeg staff share safety related information. Usually, they share examples of good and bad safety practices they see around them.

The Safety Share also helps our staff connect with each other on a personal level. By sharing observations from our personal lives, staff get to know each other better and understand where their co-workers are coming from.

Whether our staff are at an event, on the road or at home, they have a safety-first perspective on everything. The message of safety carries into everything we do. And Flynn Family look out for everyone around us as well.

One great example of this approach was when a contractor fell off a ladder from 15 feet at a building behind the Winnipeg branch. A Flynn employee witnessed this and sought first aid. The branch called 911 and sent a couple of trained employees to stabilize the fallen contractor until paramedics arrived.

Another Flynn Winnipeg employee witnessed a fairly severe car accident. He rushed over and provided first aid to an occupant of one of the vehicles until paramedics arrived.

Further, safety is everybody’s business. We’re all in it together to make sure we can go home safe at the end of the day.

It’s also critical to ensure we don’t get complacent about safety. No matter how good we are, it’s important to maintain our focus all the time. Winnipeg embraced this challenge and ensured everyone was engaged. Working closely with Flynn’s safety structure produced good results.

Winnipeg’s record speaks for itself. Out of 59,861 hours worked, they had zero lost time injuries, zero medical aids, zero lost time days, zero recordables and zero at fault vehicle accidents.

And finally, the care and attention to detail Flynn employees bring to safety touches all the other areas of our work. Whether it’s sales, service, office, field or shop, our staff are committed to delivering their best. We’re serious about safety and everything else we do.

A big congratulations to Tyler Tomlinson, Dave Sterling, Adam Hodgins and the rest of the crew at Flynn Winnipeg for their fantastic win.

Stay safe, Flynn Family.

For reference, Flynn Winnipeg does roofing, glazing, metals and service. They also maintain a large manufacturing facility. In total, the branch employs 180 people between the office, field and shop.

The branch is home to a group of 30 trusted and experienced fabricators cross-trained in multiple fabrication streams. All fabrication takes place in the branch’s 25,000 square foot fabrication facility and is under the attentive eye of long-term Flynn leaders.

Most of Winnipeg’s work is for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario. They have also worked for the Minneapolis and Denver branches.