2008-04-18 - ABB is a company that takes pride in the quality of its everyday operations; yet some milestones shine too brightly to be ignored.
That was the case last fall in Voisey’s Bay, Labrador, when the 71 employees of Iskueteu-ABB logged their 1,000th consecutive day with no lost work due to injuries.
"There’s a pride within our team that is recognized by our customer. It can be felt by everyone who visits our site," Ben Venter, ABB site manager for the Vale Inco Project.
The Voisey’s Bay achievement was notable on several fronts: the Iskueteu-ABB team is responsible for providing service excellence in training, commissioning, start-up, reliability, sustainability and maintenance to Vale Inco Newfoundland and Labrador Limited (formerly Voisey’s Bay Nickel Company), which operates in a challenging mine environment. Iskueteu-ABB recruited a significant part of their workforce from the local communities. While familiar with the area, these workers had limited experience in an industrial maintenance environment. Thanks to Iskueteu-ABB's commitment to the development of its aboriginal and Labrador employees, a high standard of excellence was achieved in every area of service.
Ben Venter, ABB site manager for the Vale Inco Project, explains that careful preparation made the difference. “When we started in 2005, we knew we had to address the needs of skills training, plant start-up and heavy equipment handling. We focused on instilling good safety behaviors from day one. Our program covers a wide scope of work-related hazards, including electrical, confined space work and hazardous materials, to name a few.”
Nevertheless, the true scope of the program “is the belief held by all our employees that injuries can be prevented,” Ben says. “We established an open-door policy on safety and invited employees to positively challenge management during forums. It works – everyone here is engaged in ‘thinking safety’ and supporting each other.”
John Caron, head of ABB Canada Service concurs. “Employee commitment at Iskueteu-ABB is evident in their excellent safety KPI measures, which have been incorporated into the incentive program. Safety priorities were cemented early on through training, policy development, behavioral-based observations and oversight from a Joint Occupational Safety & Health Committee. There are daily toolbox talks, weekly safety meetings, a commitment to safety observations and participation in various safety improvements, which has proven very effective at identifying and eliminating risks before they cause incidents.”
Iskueteu-ABB’s safety achievement is brought home by the banner that hangs at their Vale Inco facility –
1,000 Lost Time Injury Free Days – but it’s much more than that, says Ben. “There’s a pride within our team that is recognized by our customer. It can be felt by everyone who visits our site.”
Iskueteu-ABB, the joint venture between Iskueteu, an aboriginal limited partnership and ABB, in 2005 awarded a contract to provide ABB Full Service ® maintenance services to Vale Inco Newfoundland and Labrador Limited over a five-year period with an option to renew. The joint venture provides training, commissioning, reliability and maintenance excellence culture to the Voisey's Bay site. Iskueteu-ABB employs approximately 70people to carry out the services.
100% owned by Vale
Inco, Vale Inco Newfoundland and Labrador Limited, developed the mine site that is located north of Goose Bay in Labrador and started up in September 2005. It employs over 350 people. The $1 billion investment includes a greenfield nickel mine and concentrator and will produce about 110 million pounds of nickel annually.
Vale Inco (Owned by Vale) is primarily a metals company that has been in business for over 100 years, and is one of Canada's best-known companies and largest exporters. It employs over 10,000 people around the world at its mining operations, production facilities, research center, and through its extensive marketing and sales network.