2024 CPA Safety Innovation Award Recipient - Jeremy Kelly, CRSP, Health & Safety Coordinator - ARAUCO

ARAUCO - North America was recently recognized with the 2024 CPA Safety Innovation Award for the installation of heated outdoor walkways to improve safety at their facility throughout the winter.  Tune in to our interview with Jeremy Kelly to learn about the safety culture at ARAUCO and how innovation saves more than time—it protects our most valuable asset: our people.

Transcript

Transcript
May 14, 2025, 12:59PM

Perley Brewer   0:11
Welcome to today's podcast, my name is Pearlie Brewer and I will be your host.
Today's podcast guest is going to focus on the innovative solutions in New Brunswick.
Organizations are adopting to solve their health, daily health and safety problems.
My guess is Jeremy Kelly Hilton tape you manager from Morocco in St Stephen, NB welcome Jeremy.

Jeremy Kelly   0:32
Hi, Perley.
Great to be here.

Perley Brewer   0:35
So Jeremy, let's start with for folks who may not be familiar with the Roko.
Who are you and where you're located?
What do you do?

Jeremy Kelly   0:43
Ohk.
OK.
Well, I mean Arauco is, you know, relatively new I guess sort of speak to the Saint Stephen area.
But I mean, most people know us as the flakeboard you say flakeboard in town and everyone automatically knows who we are.
We are called Arauco officially today, but we've been in Saint Stephen since 1960, making a variety of manufactured wood products from you know.
Today we do MDF or HDF.
That's medium density or high density fiberboard.
Um, that goes in a wide variety of furniture kitchen cabinets.
Just a whole variety of products, right?
You probably, you know, heard of IKEA or Ashley Furniture.
You know, those would be some of the the items that are you know our products go into but a wide range.
But yeah, I mean, we started here way back and Saint Stephen a 1960 um, but we joined with the ralco I think in 2012 iralco is actually out of South America there headquarters are or is in Chile and there are multinational but they wanted to get into North America.
So they seem flakeboard they seem St Stephen.
We have another mail in Sioux, Saint Marie and a few other malls in the states that do similar or manufacture similar products.
They wanted to get into the North American market and we joined up with them and yeah, ralco very big company.
They're into forestry power generation in South America, along with panels.
Um, so that's that's kind of the the group that we're with now kind of this large, big company called Arauco.
So, but certainly a lot of history here in Saint Stephen.

Perley Brewer   2:31
So how many employees, roughly, would you have right now at your location in Saint Stephen?

Jeremy Kelly   2:36
Roughly about 130.
That would include, you know, office staff and and it is shift work.
So we are 24/7 operation but I mean depends but we we try and run as much as as we can right depending on the orders production schedules that sort of thing but.

Perley Brewer   2:57
So on our podcast, we generally tend to focus on the kind of things that we would like organizations to be doing.
We don't often really focus probably enough on the success stories of what actually organizations have done and and and the progress that they've shown.
So today we want to focus you recently received an award, an innovation award from a group called CPA.
And I'd like to talk to you a little bit about that now.

Jeremy Kelly   3:23
Yes.

Perley Brewer   3:25
I guess the start with who is CPA?

Jeremy Kelly   3:27
While the CPA and you see in other industries they sometimes or they have a a board or a body that kind of represents all manufacturers that manufacture similar products.
So the CPA stands for the Composite Panel Association and they represent similar companies like IRALCO.
So not just iralco, but competitors that make everything from OSB plywood.
MDF.
HDF that we make to particle board and just kind of you know represent their their interest within North America.
So you know, they as far as you know, maybe new government initiatives that are coming out, things that companies need to be aware of and it's really they have meetings biannually, networking, getting to know people, right, people within the industry you know that sort of thing so.
So they always have these, you know, once a year on the safety side safety awards to, you know, to recognize those that have had achievements, whether it's you know, low recordable rates, no incidence multiple years without you know, recordables or a great safety record.
And they also have this innovation award that they award each year, so.

Perley Brewer   4:46
So let's start at the beginning.
Then what was the health and safety issue that you felt you needed to address?

Jeremy Kelly   4:54
OK.
Well, I mean, most of course in in New Brunswick, you know the winter time, right?
So we tend to focus a lot of in the mill.
And of course, there's very important things within.
But of course, in the winter months slip and falls are always a concern.
Winter conditions and it just seems in the last few years the change in climate, you know, it could be raining in the winter and then the next day it's all frozen and we've always done our best.
We spend a lot of money salting, sanding, bringing in contractors, snow clearing, um.
But you know, some days we we just can't keep up with the with the changing weather and you know a couple of years back we did have a significant injury where a team member slipped and fell, broke his leg in a couple of places and you know it's like what can we do to combat?
You know, we've tried a lot of things from ice cleats that are mandatory.
Like I said to the to the salting and sanding.
So we have a Committee outside of our safety committee that looks at pedestrian mobile equipment interaction because we have a lot of mobile equipment here on site.
And then this idea kind of came up while we were talking about travel patterns and paths for pedestrians to prevent interaction with mobile equipment.
It's like in addition to setting up these designated travel ways outside, maybe we could put in some heated walkways.
Um to just continually melt that ice and snow, dedicate them to employees so when they have to enter exit the mill.
Those are the only pathways they're permitted to use.
And then that way you know we don't have to worry about a slip and fall on ice.
So kind of started that process of you know, because I had seen pictures and maybe heard a little bit about it in the past.
But you know who do we go to?
Who are the vendors?
How much does it cost?
Obviously that's important and that kind of started the process from there.

Perley Brewer   6:57
So how big an area would you have been looking at roughly?

Jeremy Kelly   7:00
Um, God, that would have been, and I would probably say that the longest span would be probably 30 to 40 feet.
That goes from our security building to one of the main entrances of the mill, and then the other one.
Maybe you know 20 or 25 feet.
Um, so yeah, there's quite a span there, right?
And probably about, I don't know, 6 feet, 7 feet wide.

Perley Brewer   7:29
Now, did you find many vendors that provided that type of product or service that you need it?

Jeremy Kelly   7:34
Uh, not locally for this particular one.
We did have to go to a company out of Ontario and you know, source it there.
I think I don't have to name.
I guess the Company maybe or I can if if you'd like me to.
But you know, they they specifically deal, you know, heated driveways, you know, for folks that that want to go that route and you know, start at getting on their website and got some more information from them.
And yeah, just seeing what was involved and there was a little more, you know, involved.
Uh, then we have thought.
I mean, there's obviously excavation and you know our electricians would have to get involved.
The installation of this, so it was it was a large project so we, you know we had to reach out to them get that information, get the cost um, but it seemed like you know as we started to to understand it more and it's like you know, let's give this a try, I think this would really work and you know just the the costs not only having somebody injured but a slip and fall and having somebody out of work for months on end because like that individual in the past with a broken leg will be more.
Than well worth the the cost of installing these walkways so.

Perley Brewer   8:57
So how long the process was it?

Jeremy Kelly   9:00
Uh, we did it during our summer shutdown and it took probably two to three weeks, if not more.
We had a local contractor committed excavate, right.
They had to tear up the pavement.
Uh, not dig down too deep, but because it's it's kind of neat.
When it came in, it's almost like a a mesh of copper wire that has to go just beneath the surface and then once that is hooked up and wired up, that provides the heat that then emanates from the pavement and you know, provides that continual melting of the snow and ice.
So, but to get that cut, the pavement removed the top layer.
Kind of.
The soil dug up a bit then, to get that recovered with some gravel, and then having the paving contractors come in and and repave it.
So it was to be a probably 3 weeks to maybe even a month just to get all of that in place.
Just.

Perley Brewer   10:04
So you completed that when last summer?

Jeremy Kelly   10:06
Last summer, UM and it really wasn't so.
I mean, you know, we looked at it, it was great, but obviously in the summer, you're not gonna know until the colder weather comes.
So, you know, come November and we start started having you know frost and then some snow and then we kind of realized because with there's a few options for set up and you know the initial option was a temperature sensor.
So it senses not only temperature but humidity and potential freezing conditions, and our staff very attentive.
Sometimes it wasn't working at first right.
There were some bugs and some adjustments we had to make, but once we got it dialed in and tuned in the way that it should be, and that was only within the first week couple of weeks, they work great for us all winter.
You know, even in the heaviest snow storms, right?
I mean, you look out and those walkways would be clear, black pavement, free advices, snow right.
And but you couldn't ask for.
I mean you, you know this before with salt trucks and plowing.
And there's always that risk, you know, of ice and snow and a slip and fall.
But with these, once there were dialed in, the right temperature just continually melt in that ice and snow, right?
So providing a safe pathway back and forth.

Perley Brewer   11:29
Now we get we get some pretty cold temperature drops here in our province.

Jeremy Kelly   11:29
To our buildings.

Perley Brewer   11:34
How did that make out when you had your temperatures dropped to it?
You know the -25 -? 30.

Jeremy Kelly   11:40
No whole problem at all.
No problem, they worked really well.

Perley Brewer   11:44
Yeah.

Jeremy Kelly   11:44
No issue with the the temperature, right?
It's just keeping them dialed in at the right setting.
I mean, you know, obviously there is a a cost, right?
I mean, they're running off electricity off power, but you know, to us, that cost was was very minimal and they just kind of worked without issue without, you know, there was no, no problem with them at all.
Even on the coldest days. So.

Perley Brewer   12:09
So what kind of feedback did you get from staff?

Jeremy Kelly   12:13
Uh, you know from staff?
They they certainly liked because what we recognized as well with them, we said we would try because of course we do have some smokers that you know go out to the smoking house and again that is a risk in the winter months because they're heading to the smoking area.
Also, our lift trucks run off liquid propane gas and we store that an outside area and again that's another area.
So the risk is there, they're they're going out to get those tanks.
So we did a couple of branch offs just to try it from the main path to the propane refueling area and also to the to one of the smoking cots at the other walkway and the staff really liked it.
It was free of ice and snow for the cart that they used for the propane that wasn't getting, you know, the wheels weren't getting stuck in snow and ice.
That was kept free and they're really seen it as a great innovation, so much so that we're looking to potentially this year expand it to other areas, maybe even into the parking lot at some point, cause the parking lot's another risk, right?
We have staff that come and go and we've had slips in the parking lot over the years.
Thankfully, nothing serious, but again, just those winter conditions.
But staff really, you know, embraced it.
Really thought it was a great innovation.
Great idea and just seeing the company, you know, take that further investment in you know to their Safety so.

Perley Brewer   13:43
So.
When you look at this option, you know when you look at the cost and everything, I'm sure sometimes people would say well, you know, what was your reaction of management to to putting up this kind of money for a project of this nature.

Jeremy Kelly   13:59
Yeah.
I mean, cost is always and I mean Safety of courses is number one for us.
But I mean, you have to look at it with cost as well, right?
And just see as it feasible and what is the payback going to be and but you know it's thankfully with the way that our our our budgeting and our capital process works.
You know, there was money available.
You know, they took a look at it locally here at the site.
You know, with that group that we have on our management committee, there are pedestrian mobile equipment Committee complete agreement across the board.
Let's try if there's money there, you know.
Again, with larger companies and you have a, you know, a higher levels again that you have to get that approval.
You know, thankfully there wasn't.
I mean, there's always just.
What's the payback going to be?
What's the benefit?
But once we presented it in our capital proposal, I'm you know, there really wasn't much pushback at all.
And you know, that's one of the the great things with with the row go and not to toot our own horn, I guess.
But you know, they're they're looking to that kind of put their money where their mouth is when it comes to safety.
And you know, if it's going to mean the prevention of an injury, they're willing to spend the money into and to try it so.
And thankfully, like I said, it worked out so well.
We've had such great feedback on again receiving this award was great and just looking at expanding it and potentially other sites, we have a mill in Northern Michigan, another one in Sioux, Saint Marie, Ontario and they get a lot of snow and ice up there.
So potentially you know it's something they're looking at as well, so.

Perley Brewer   15:39
So what's the next big challenge?
I have patience when it comes to health and safety that you're thinking you guys wanna tackle.

Jeremy Kelly   15:46
Well, I mean with us and I mean there's, you know, I guess if you call it a a cliche, but it's true, I mean safe.
He's a journey.
You always got to innovate.
Always have to look to improve and so for us, I mean the challenge is always you know we look at the large hazards that our site and it's around mobile equipment for us.
I mean, we look at mobile equipment and because of the industry would that we're in fires as well.
But really, our focus on mobile equipment, we've started looking into things like at the moment industrial kind of dash cams to put on our mobile equipment.
We currently cut our forklifts almost loaded to the Max to the I don't know, we might have to go to bigger batteries in them for like backup cameras and blue lights and all these sensors to kind of indicate their presence and to help operators and pedestrians see them.
But these industrial dashcams?
That kind of give us a sense if there was an accident, right?
It can notify us if there was a collision.
If the forklift was going over the designated speed that we set, you know, even in company vehicles, right, if they rolled through a stop sign and, you know, being able to track travel patterns to see what high risk areas, maybe they they're going in.
And again, that's something that we're trialing, but we see that because we have multiple forklifts, we have front end loaders, company vehicles.
So we see that as being one of the still, even though we've taken a lot of steps here.
Uh, just there's a high, high risk, a high.
You know the potential if there was an incident, serious injury or fatality.
So the more that we can do in that area to improve the better so.

Perley Brewer   17:32
How many pieces of mobile equipment, forklifts, etcetera would you have?
Roughly, do you have any idea?

Jeremy Kelly   17:37
Uh, yeah.
I mean with the.
Let's see with the forklifts, we would have definitely have 20 plus forklifts.
Not in all operation at the same time, but you know multiple ones moving throughout the day, depending on how busy it is.
Front end loaders we have 3, but we also have, you know, our own aerial lifts on site, right?
We have different sizes of aerial lifts, a couple of scissor lifts write down till we have, you know, Crane 1, Crane, um, even our maintenance personnel, we have the industrial tricycles that present another issue.
I mean, they help the mechanics and electricians because they don't have to cart their tools around the site, but on the other hand they create an issue with forklifts, right?
And with pedestrians, and that has to be managed.
So we do have quite a bit and then not to mention our company pickup trucks and service vehicles.
So there's quite a bit of mobile equipment here on site.

Perley Brewer   18:39
Now a lot of our listeners also used forklifts and various other types of equipment for those folks that might be listening.

Jeremy Kelly   18:45
No.

Perley Brewer   18:48
What?
What do you folks done over the years to to reduce the number of incidents accidents with your mobile equipment?

Jeremy Kelly   18:54
Yeah, I mean it's again, that's something that's been a process in every year.
We continue to to work at that.
So the first thing for us, you know way back, I think it was 2017 or 2016, you know we put together a Committee, we have a health and Safety committee, but we recognize mobile equipment as being a big hazard for us, a high potential there for an incident.
So we created a separate Committee.
Everyone from you know the the mill manager, other managers, employees can participate.
We meet once a month like a safety committee, but it is dedicated to issues around mobile equipment, pedestrian interaction and reducing, you know, the risk of an incident.
So we started to look at things separation.
How do can we separate people from machinery?
Right.
That's if we can eliminate interaction potential interaction.
So I think a lot of sites today have pedestrian walkways.
So we, you know, we looked at those, we looked at traffic patterns, we looked at, you know, how can we make our busy intersections safer, so getting pedestrians to stop, you know, look both ways, indications that forklifts are present.
Install things like pressure sensitive mats at the intersection so that when you step on it, there's a horn and a light that goes on in the middle of the intersection.
Let's the forklift.
No.
Hey, there's a pedestrian that's about to cross, so that's at our busier intersections.
Um, we put up stop gates.
You know, Gates, that the pedestrian forces in the stop pull the gate open before they proceed out to cross the intersection.
Blue lights on the forklift that shine out on the floor to indicate the forklifts presence.
Backup cameras, even to the point now in areas to really improve that separation.
Caged walkway so covering the walkway with.
Steel beams and expanded metal and putting it off to the side of an alley or an aisle way that separates the employees from the lift trucks.
Also, in some areas protects them from our product because we stack it so that if there was a spill, it's not going to fall on them and the walkway.
So we're, you know, I think we have four or five caged walkways.
I'm all kinds of stuff, and again, this is something that hasn't happened overnight, but it's taken multiple years and its ideas is everyone coming together, right?
Observations by staff and their suggestions and from the committee, and you know, even you know, the heat of walkways.
That was a committee member.
I can't take credit for that.
It was a a member that came forward.
Hey this would be a great idea and and really that's what Safety is in general, right?
It's just everyone and I come in together.
Their ideas and how can we improve and do better so?

Perley Brewer   21:50
Well, look, Jeremy, like to one congratulate you on your award innovation award very well deserved.
I know you do a lot of good work down at at a Roko.
Thank you very much as well for joining us today and sharing your story with us.
You mentioned a number of items that you have in the works that you're working on in the future as well.
Keep up the good work and keep up the Safety.
Again, would like to thank for our listeners.
Would like to thank you for listening today to the Podcast and hope you enjoyed it.
Take care.
We'll talk to you next week.