Update of successes and expectations at BC Ferries
SailSafe is the collaborative workforce engagement programme with WrightWay as a key partner
Chief Operating Officer, BC Ferries Christmas message
Let me start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year and all the best for a safe and prosperous 2010.
2010 promises to be a big year for us. Not only will we help welcome the world to the Winter Olympics and celebrate our 50th Anniversary, but we will also move into the next phase of SailSafe, our company-wide initiative to achieve world class safety performance.
It’s important for us to think about how far we’ve come since the launch of SailSafe in fall 2007. Among our key accomplishments;
• We’ve established SailSafe as a unique partnership between BC Ferries and the BC Ferry & Marine Workers’ Union, with a mandate to elevate safety company-wide.
• We’ve generated more than 4500 Learning Opportunities (or ‘Gold Dust’) and converted them into a comprehensive Action Plan built around four Pillars of Safety, each complementing our existing lines of business (Deck, Engineering, Catering and Terminals).
• We’ve introduced new diagnostic and incident response tools such as the ALERT handbook, implemented rigorous Risk Assessment and Local Site Investigation processes and revitalized the Site Joint Safety & Health Committees. Based on feedback from the recent ‘Road Show’ sessions, these initiatives have been well received and confirm that we are on the right track.
In the process, we’ve seen significant improvements in overall safety performance and significant progress toward becoming an advanced safety culture. Tables 1 and 2 (below) highlights the improvements we’ve made.
Reflecting on these achievements, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of everyone who has helped us advance SailSafe and operational safety in general. In particular, I want to thank the members of the Steering Committee, the SafeWatch core and extended teams, the more than 400 employees who participated in the development of the original Action Plan, and the Pillar leads and Pillar Team members who have been instrumental in activating the plans over the past 18 months. None of what we have achieved so far would have been possible without your commitment and hard work.
SailSafe was always intended to be a dynamic, multi-year initiative. When the original Action Plan Proposal was presented in spring 2008, it contained so many insights and recommendations that we made a practical decision to divide it into separate phases.
‘Phase 1’ consisted of 48 specific action items in addition to providing the framework and overall strategy for activating safety improvements.
By the end of 2009, we had implemented more than 90% of the 48 action items in Phase 1, with the balance deliberately carried forward into subsequent phases.
The arrival of the New Year signifies the effective close of Phase 1 and the beginning of the next phase of SailSafe. This phase will focus on continuously improving and sustaining our safety performance while addressing 36 additional recommendations from the original Action Plan.
A key component of our efforts will be the integration of SailSafe plans and activities with our various lines of business. This approach will enable us to engage more of our total workforce in SailSafe, drive safety awareness, responsibility and solutions into the workplace and help make SailSafe an integral part of our daily work.
As we enter the next phase of this journey, I want to thank you for your participation and ask for your continued support as we go forward. While it is appropriate to say that there is no finish line with SailSafe, we can say that we have made great strides so far.
The next steps will be equally exciting. I look forward to taking them with you.
Mike Corrigan
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
