Health and Safety Award Recipients

Employee Safety

This is awarded for injury avoidance/reduction.

Recipients:

• Liberty New Brunswick
• EPCOR Natural Gas LP
• Gazifère
• Pacific Northern Gas

Based on TRI-F (total reportable injury frequency rate), LTI-F (lost time injury frequency rate), LTI-S (lost time injury severity rate)

Vehicular Safety

This is awarded for vehicular safety.

Recipient:

• Liberty New Brunswick

Based on RMVI-F (reportable motor vehicle incidents – frequency)

Community Safety Champion

This is awarded to individuals or teams who have contributed to public awareness and education about the safe use of natural gas.

Recipient:

Elmer Hollinger
Operations Manager, SaskEnergy

SaskEnergy’s Community Safety Champion
Elmer Hollinger is an Operations Manager with SaskEnergy. He oversees a team of front-line service technicians in Yorkton, a city of about 20,000 people northeast of Regina. Working in the natural gas transmission and distribution industry, Elmer champions the company’s goal to have every employee and contractor go home safely each day and meet the vision of Mission: Zero – zero injuries, zero fatalities and zero suffering.

Elmer continuously works to advance the company’s strong safety culture and is one of the first people to step up for SaskEnergy-aligned volunteer opportunities, including Damage Prevention activities such as the Saskatchewan Common Ground Alliance (SCGA) Contractor Dig Safe breakfasts. Elmer believes safe digging is everyone’s responsibility. It starts with good plan, making sure all facilities are located, and ends with everyone going home safe at the end of the day.

To help maintain SaskEnergy’s readiness for an emergency response, in December 2023, Elmer participated in a successful emergency response simulated transmission line hit outside of Yorkton. He was the on-site commander who supported the seven Technicians from the Yorkton Operations team.

Employee Safety Champion

This is awarded to individuals or teams who have consistently demonstrated high safety standards, taken proactive measures to identify and address risks, and have gone beyond their roles to influence and educate others to be safe.

No nominations were received for 2023.

Life Saving

This is awarded to extraordinary individuals whose swift and decisive actions have averted potential tragedies, preventing the loss of life or serious injury. This accolade honors those whose courage and quick thinking in critical moments made the crucial difference between disaster and safety.

No nominations were received for 2023.

Safety Innovation

This is awarded to trailblazing individuals or teams who have demonstrated unparalleled creativity and ingenuity in developing solutions that significantly enhance workplace safety. It celebrates those who, through their inventive spirit, have contributed to the evolution of safety practices and systems.

Recipient:

Rob McPherson
Engineering Specialist, Asset and Threat Management, SaskEnergy

Managing the Risk of Distribution System Leaks

Rob McPherson has been instrumental in developing a Distribution Risk Framework that has significantly improved the way risks are managed, moving from a reactive to a preventative and predictive approach. This framework has been key in identifying and mitigating risks, leading to a reduction in hazards and improving safety.

The Distribution Risk Framework is a testament to the organization’s commitment to safety and operational excellence. It’s a strategic approach that not only addresses current risks but also anticipates potential future issues, allowing for a more robust and resilient distribution system. The Framework has been enhancing workplace safety by streamlining the service upgrade program. It has effectively identified services with higher leak rates, preventing numerous leaks and the associated emergency responses. This has significantly reduced emergency situations, contributing to a safer environment for employees and the public. The framework’s predictive capabilities have been key in this achievement, allowing for early detection and management of potential risks.

Rob’s work exemplifies the kind of innovative thinking and leadership that drives progress and sets new standards in asset and threat management. It’s a clear reflection of the proactive and strategic mindset that is important in today’s natural gas industry.

Notable nominees:

• Michael Collins, Enbridge Gas Inc.
  Enbridge Excellence: Pioneering Valve Operator Removal Solutions
• Hung Truoung, Apex Utilities
  Live Outage Management Application/ESRI Layers
• Sheena Nabozniak, SaskEnergy
  Stakeholder of Interest

Outstanding Driver

This is awarded to individuals or groups who have consistently demonstrated safe, respectful, and defensive driving skills while undertaking their daily work.

Recipient:

Darren Tymofichuk
Technician, Distribution Operations, St. Paul, Apex Utilities

Darren Tymofichuk Safe Driving

Darren is currently in the position of Technician, Distribution Operations, and prior to that was a technician on one of AUI’s construction and maintenance crews dating back to his hire in 2013. Both positions require a large amount of driving to and from work sites and as such Darren has had a lot of exposure to driving-related risks.

When looking at a 10-year history of vehicle incidents, annual km driven, and recent (2023-present) vehicle telematics data for AUI field workers who are assigned a company vehicle, Darren Tymofichuk stood out as a safe, defensive driver. In his 10 years of service with AUI, he has had no preventable, reportable vehicle incidents in that time.

In 2023, Darren drove approximately 43,800 km (compared to an average of 26,000 km*) and had an exceptionally low number of driving exception events recorded by his in-vehicle telematics device 2023-present when compared with other AUI drivers.

Darren is an example for other AUI drivers that obeying the speed limit and paying attention to surroundings improves safety on the road.

*Compared to AUI field workers assigned a company vehicle with 10+ years of service and no preventable, reportable vehicle incidents 2013-present.

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