Safety Champions: New Flyer

Safety Champions: New Flyer

​​​a welder works on a bus frame at the New Flyer facility

Welding is an important part of many manufacturing projects.

However, fusing metal together at high temperatures puts welders at risk of being exposed to ultraviolet radiation, and inhaling hazardous gases and toxic metal fumes.

Overexposure to these gases and fumes can cause serious illnesses. For example, long term exposure to manganese can cause an irreversible illness similar to Parkinson's disease called manganism, whose symptoms include tremors, slowed movement and body rigidness. Employers have a responsibility to implement control measures for airborne hazardous substances to eliminate any risk to the safety or health of a worker.

New Flyer's culture of safety

New Flyer manufactures transit buses and intercity coaches, and is one example of a Manitoba employer who makes safety a priority for all staff.

Janice Harper, New Flyer's Executive Vice President of Human Resources, says New Flyer believes the tone from the top is critical to the success of its safety program. The executive group is actively involved in supporting and resourcing the needs of their team. “Our Operational Excellence Program is committed to creating world-class product in world-class facilities, and a cornerstone of that commitment is worker safety."

A Notice of Intended Change, published in the 2010 American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) guideline, proposed that the level of manganese exposure allowed in workplaces be lowered. Based on the proposed limit, New Flyer identified a situation where the 100 welders on their Winnipeg transit bus manufacturing team could be overexposed to manganese. The plant's air quality was tested, and results indicated that the air in the weld shop and in work areas near the weld shop were over the proposed manganese limit.

“Based on the preliminary testing, New Flyer immediately began planning action to protect their employees," says Kent Davis, Director of Safety, Environment and Compliance at New Flyer. “It is a substantial undertaking to reach these air quality levels, but an absolute requirement that we are in regulatory compliance."

Protecting welders from manganese exposure

The first priority was to protect welders from direct exposure to fumes. Supplied air respirators and powered air purifying respirators, although more expensive, were chosen for New Flyer's welders because they are reliable, comfortable, provide better protection and allow welders to maintain their production levels, says Eric St. Pierre, Environment, Health & Safety Team Lead.

The respirators' health benefits can be seen daily: for example, New Flyer welders don't have the respiratory tract irritation that's common among welders who don't use respirators.

“The majority of the welders agree that these changes are for their health," says St. Pierre. “They can't believe how much better it is."

New Flyer's second priority was to use engineering controls to reduce exposure to fumes.

They sealed off the weld shop from the rest of the plant and gave the shop its own heating and ventilation system. This protects the rest of the staff from toxic gases and fumes, and improves the ambient air inside the shop so much that staff who spend shorter periods of time in there, including quality assurance inspectors and materials handlers, often don't need to wear respirators.

“Our safety teams across the company co-ordinate with production leaders, manufacturing engineers and welders to develop and test solutions," says Davis. “From area ventilation and local extraction equipment, to rotational fixtures, custom weld guns and pulse welding, potential improvements are constantly under evaluation."

Safety choices are about more than meeting regulations

The weld shop upgrades are about more than regulatory compliance: they're about protecting all New Flyer staff. For example, a number of the improvements developed in Winnipeg will be incorporated into a new weld shop being built in Alabama, even though higher manganese levels are allowed in workplaces in the United States.

And, New Flyer employees were involved in the whole process: a key part of a strong workplace safety culture.

“When the company was faced with significant changes to exposure regulations, they changed the whole environment to develop a solution that worked for all of the employees," says Derrick Geurts, New Flyer's Worker Co-Chair for their workplace safety and health committee.

UNIFOR Local 3003 Chairperson Mike Deley agrees. “The union and safety committee were fully on board with the changes as they enhanced the working conditions of all the area employees. Working together from start to finish made the process almost seamless. I give kudos to New Flyer for their commitment to this project and their employees, as well as keeping the safety committee and the union fully involved."


Photo: A welder works on a bus frame at New Flyer’s Winnipeg facility. Photo supplied by New Flyer.

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