Chilliwack, BC – On October 28, the Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC hosted the first ever virtual Safety Pinnacle Awards celebration to recognize the safety achievements of more than 30 leading BC manufacturers and food processors who have achieved significant milestones in workplace health and safety. 

“It is a different gala this year – without a crowded room and the hustle and bustle – but it will be a year most etched in our memory,” said Lisa McGuire, CEO of the Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC. “And this is all in the name of health and safety to protect us from this new virus that emerged in November of 2019 and impacted the world as a global pandemic in March.” 

This year the Ben Hume Leadership Award — presented to a member of the Executive Health and Safety Council of BC for exemplary leadership — was awarded to Steve Horvath, Chair of the Work Wellness Institute. Horvath’s nominator, Natalia Mozayani, Radiation Safety Council, describes him as the type of leader who sees opportunities amid obstacles. 

“Steve is an accomplished leader with a track record of success and promoting the integration of prevention and workplace health into the culture of an organization,” said Mozayani. 

The presentation also recognized Ben Hume award finalists Brad Tindall President of Richmond-based The Great Little Box Company and Lesli Bradley, CEO of Kelowna-based Sun-Rype. 

The Pinnacle Awards validate the hard work of Occupational Safety Standard of Excellence (OSSE) certified manufacturers and food processors that go above and beyond to make the health and safety of workers a priority in their workplace. 

The Topaz Pinnacle Award is granted to companies who have successfully developed and implemented a comprehensive health and safety management system to OSSE certification standards. This year’s recipients were Aeriosense (Vancouver), CKF Inc. (Langley), Garaventa Lift (Surrey), Grieg Seafood (Campbell Rier), PFG Glass Industries (Langley), Piedmont Sheet Metal (Burnaby), Mauser Packaging (Langley), Sulzer Pumps (Burnaby) and Termel Industries (North Vancouver). 

The Sapphire Pinnacle Award is given out to companies whose leadership has demonstrated strong commitment to safety through visible engagement as a BC Safety Charter Signatory. This year’s recipients were Columbia Plastics (Surrey), Highland Foundry (Vernon), and Murray Latta Progressive Machine (Surrey). 

The Emerald Pinnacle Award is awarded to companies that have maintained their OSSE certification, are an Executive Health and Safety Council of BC member in good standing, and who have been successful in reducing their Injury Rate below their average industry Classification Unit over a three-year period. This year’s recipients were Kerry Canada (Delta), Andrew Peller’s Canrim Packaging (Kelowna), Cermaq Canada (Campbell River), Conagra Brands Canada’s Garden Protein (Richmond), Freeport Industries Ltd. (West Kelowna), Intercontinental Truck Body (Surrey), Keith Panel Systems (North Vancouver), and Signify Canada (Langley). 

The Ruby Pinnacle Award recognizes companies with mature health and safety programs that have met the criteria of the Emerald Award and also improved their WorkSafeBC Experience Rating by 10 percent over a period of three years after certification. This year’s recipients were Agropur (Victoria), EWOS Canada (Surrey), Penticton Foundry (Penticton), Saputo Foods (Burnaby), and Soprema (Chilliwack). 

The Alliance also awarded three Safety Excellence Awards to recognize innovation and excellence in manufacturing safety.  

Joint Health and Safety Committee Excellence Award: Highland Foundry. The Joint Health and Safety Committee at Highland Foundry uses their monthly inspection to challenge employee knowledge by asking health and safety questions of eager participants. 

Safety Innovator Award: Kingfisher Boats. Kingfisher strives to implement continuous improvement and includes this in every process that affects health and safety —whether it’s a safety committee suggestion or an incident investigation.  

Small Business People First Award: Koehn Brothers. Jason and Nathan Koehn continue to strive to improve the safety at Koehn Brothers every day through training and education. 

In addition to awards, Sindhu Selvaraj received the Daneen Skilling Scholarship, which is awarded annually to a student pursuing a career in occupational health and safety. The Manufacturing Safety Alliance also announced the creation of the Julie Cole Bursary which will be awarded for the first time in 2021. The bursary honours the memory of Julie Cole, a health and safety champion who died in 2019. 

“Our expectation is that when the manager is away, the right decisions are made by the people in the organization,” said Lisa McGuire. “That is ultimately what we trying to achieve with the Safety Pinnacle journey — a culture of safety and wellbeing.” 

Award winners and nominees submitted videos and shared stories of their own safety journey throughout the presentation. View the full event online. 

About the Alliance: 

The Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC is a leading provider of health and safety services in BC.  An industry-funded organization with a board of directors elected from BC manufacturing industries, the Alliance is dedicated to ensuring Occupational Health and Safety professionals of the future are well qualified to provide industry advice and leadership.

Media contact:   

Lisa Thibault
Marketing and PR Specialist
[email protected] | 604.991.7423