Fine Choice Foods started 38 years ago as a small family-owned business. Today, they have two facilities and output multiple hundreds of pieces every minute. As a smaller business, change was easier. “To achieve OSSE certification, we knew it could be a challenge to get people to buy in. Just because we have been doing something one way doesn’t mean that it is the right way—or the safest,” said Jason Longden, CEO of Fine Choice Foods Ltd.

Leadership is a critical factor. “When I was hired in 2021,” comments OHS Manager Cherri Singleton, “one of my main goals was to see this organization through OSSE certification. I’ve been preparing for it since I arrived.”

Through a pandemic, turnover, new hires—young workers and foreign workers—the key to their ability to sustain and build buy-in is trust. A new worker herself, Cherri knew it was important to be visible in the plant and follow through. “When people came to me with ideas or issues, I made sure that we fixed them.” She also made a point to communicate back with the suggesters.
Getting buy-in means communicating why safety is the number one priority.

It takes patience more than processes, Jason notes, to help workers understand why safety is important. Building relationships takes time, and Jason shares “Safety is a marathon, not a sprint.” By taking the time to do it well, Fine Choice Foods built a healthy and robust safety culture.

“Once people realize that you’re there to make things better and easier for the employees, you’ll win,” says Cherri.

“People seem much happier, more engaged. There is often a line-up outside my door because people want to talk to us about safety,” Cherri explains. “It may be something very simple, or more major—anything to do with safety. They know they can come to our office with their concerns.”

Three years ago, they had to appoint workers to the Joint Health and Safety Committee, Jason notes, today, workers campaign for the honour. “Our people are engaged and want to be part of the solution.”

For others considering OSSE, Jason and Cherri emphasized the importance of support and buy-in— from workers and leaders—and of a person to lead the journey. “People like Cherri and our operations group really drove this process, helping us make it a significant business priority.”

Jason cautions not to underestimate the path. “It’s work, it’s perseverance, it’s a lot of push,” he explains. “But also, don’t underestimate the joy that you’ll get at the end of it through engagement, better safety, and overall better business. A safe business is a good business, right?”