VMAC has earned the Occupational Safety Standard of Excellence (OSSE) certificate of recognition (COR), through the Manufacturing Safety Alliance of British Columbia, with cooperation from WorkSafeBC. This achievement highlights VMAC's commitment to the health and safety of its coworkers and its focus on helping eliminate serious workplace injuries within the manufacturing sector.
"Our first core value at VMAC is that we place the safety of our coworkers and products above all else," said Tod Gilbert, VMAC's president. "Achieving OSSE Certification recognizes the continuous improvement of our safety culture at VMAC."
To become OSSE certified, manufacturing organizations must enter a rigorous three-step program. The first step is consultation. The Manufacturing Safety Alliance of B.C. assesses the organization's occupational health and safety (OHS) strengths, weaknesses, and development opportunities.
In the second step, a safety action plan is created. Tools, training, and resources are included to help organizations execute the action plan. Once the action plan has been completed, organizations move on to the third and final step: certification.
During the certification step, a certified OSSE auditor visits the facility to audit the processes, practices, and documentation in the organization's Safety Management System. The audit spans several days and includes interviews with supervisors and managers.
"VMAC's achievement of OSSE certification shows our commitment to all coworkers," said Arleigh MacNeill, VMAC's health, safety, and environment iaison. "By prioritizing safety and ensuring our resources, equipment and processes are in place, we can ensure that we will always go home safe at the end of the day."
