Being one of the most sustainable forestry companies in Suriname comes with a lot of responsibilities and a long list on how to uphold our values. We are proud to contribute to the wellbeing of the forest as well as our employees, therefore it is our duty to make sure that they work in an environment that is safe. To ensure the safety and health of our employees there are a set of written rules which they have to follow.
PPE equipment is indispensable in our line of work. We have a PPE scheme which every employee must follow, that includes wearing a safety helmet, safety shoes, safety glasses, hand gloves and a mask. Part of our safety policy also includes providing training sessions. In the fire safety training, we teach employees how to recognize fire hazards, how to respond in case of a fire, to understand the different types of fire extinguishers and how to use them properly. If a fire occurs our employees will know how to safely conduct their co-workers to an evacuation area and they will also be able to extinguish the fire. The second training is a first aid course where employees learn the basics such as, how to bring a victim to safety, how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to stabilize a victim. Besides instructing our employees how to prepare for the worst, checking heavy equipment is also necessary. Before the equipment gets used an inspector does a daily check-up in order to ensure the safety of our employees.
We also hold toolbox meetings every week on each site to discuss various safety topics like the danger of sawdust, heavy equipment, vehicle inspections and share tips on how to avoid an incident. If an incident does take place there is a certain procedure that follows. Every site on which we operate has a different emergency plan.
After the incident has occurred and instructions have been followed, a health and safety officer carry out an internal investigation as an approach to improve our safety policy and create a better work environment. The investigation determines how the current situation can be improved and what can be done to prevent such incidents in the future. This information is then shared with each site to create awareness.
