ISN helps 75,000 contractors and suppliers manage risk and support sustainability, evaluating company safety cultures by collecting and reviewing insurance and other risk management documentation, such as supplier certificates, workers' compensation and financial information. The organisation assigns and tracks completion of contractor and supplier employee-level training and qualifications required to perform specified tasks to meet client and regulatory requirements, benchmarking contractor performance against industry peers with reporting tools, dashboards and data analytics.
Janice Verbeke, global director of people and culture for Martin Engineering, says: “The entire RAVS Plus process was definitely a team effort. Everyone involved rallied to make this accomplishment happen. But the foundation of safety had already been established here long before I arrived.”
The ISN audit that was conducted with an internal team comprised of Verbeke, Sue Griffith and Niki Andris resulted in zero deficiencies and only a short list of opportunities for improvement. This is also due to the training and knowledge of the field technicians chosen to take part in the audit.
Covid-19 restrictions changed how the traditional in-person audit was conducted. With the help of Andris, five experienced Martin technicians were coordinated. They were chosen from among the wide variety of industries Martin Engineering serves, from cement production to mining, to take an ISN survey. The survey tested their knowledge of everything from certifications to equipment to ensure all policies, procedures, and training were communicated and properly working as designed.
While the surveys were being conducted, several months of research was being prepared for the organisation’s audit interview. Conducted via teleconference, Verbeke and Griffith sat for two hours with an ISN auditor. The audit consisted of a deep dive into safety policies, procedures, compliance and training at the corporate level.
Verbeke says: “Sue and I complemented each other well, with our different knowledge bases. The questions ranged from overall safety knowledge on OSHA regulations to specific topics of what we do in the field. She provided information on our practices, protocols and equipment used in the field. I provided the safety and regulatory knowledge, training protocols and corporate administrative processes.”
Safety has been a top priority for Martin Engineering since its inception more than 75 years ago. The company has introduced its Foundations series of textbooks, training the next generation of industrial vocations on safe bulk material handling and conveyor operation. This learning series includes Foundations for Conveyor Safety, a comprehensive safety-focused book in the bulk handling industry.
“The most positive outcome of the ISN recognition is the sense of gratification that we, as an organisation, were willing to put ourselves up to scrutiny and demonstrated that safety is our culture, it’s not just talk. It’s a deep belief system that we practice every day,” Verbeke concludes.
