Safety

Safety Policies, Programs and Oversight

Our comprehensive safety programs cover everything from personal protective equipment to equipment lockout and de-energization. We assign mentors and peers to guide new employees through their onboarding. We track progressive learning and training, including a verification process where employees demonstrate their safety comprehension by completing annual refreshers and certifications. We also hold weekly, company-wide safety calls to review current incidents, share learnings, and strengthen ongoing accountability.

• Safety Programs: Our regional safety programs prescribe the aspects of our safety program that employees and contractors are accountable for, including:
  • Understanding safe work practices; 
  • Reporting unsafe acts and conditions;
  • Refusing unsafe work; and 
  • Implementing our Emergency Response Programs.
• Safety Committees: Each of our operations has a safety committee which is employee driven and attended by both hourly employees and management. These committees meet regularly to review and resolve hazards, complete site inspections, and share information and best practices.
• Targets and Reporting: We set targets for leading indicators to prevent incidents and injuries. We also identify trends by tracking and analyzing leading and lagging indicators. Quarterly reports are provided to the Environment & Safety Committee of our Board, which has direct oversight over health and safety matters.
• Drug and Alcohol Policy: Our Drug and Alcohol Policy has zero tolerance for on-the-job drug or alcohol use and includes accommodation and support for employees struggling with substance abuse.
• Reporting Concerns: We encourage employees to report their safety concerns, and we protect them from retaliation. We also provide a confidential whistleblower hotline.

We are responsible for upholding US and Canadian occupational safety laws and all of our operations are subject to unannounced inspections by health and safety authorities to verify compliance with safety regulations and standards. We also self-audit our operations to measure and improve performance. Interfor’s safety performance benefits from external safety certifications and memberships based on third-party auditing, verification, and annual reporting, including:

• Our BC woodlands, including our major contractors, are certified by the BC Forest Safety Council’s SAFE Companies program; 
• We have achieved BC Forest Safety Council MAG-SAFE Certification or BASE recognition in our BC manufacturing facilities;
• Our Ontario woodlands operations are Safe Workplace Ontario (SWO) certified; and  
• Through our memberships in the Western Wood Products Association and Workplace Safety North, we collaborate and benchmark with our peers.

Continuous improvement is built into our safety program and culture. A few key initiatives include:  

• Loss Prevention Program: Regular loss prevention site visits by both external engineers and our internal loss prevention team help us identify risks and find potential solutions. Loss prevention activities are tracked through a data system, providing metrics and mill-specific information to management. Initiatives that keep our people and our infrastructure safe, while working to improve production:  
  • A Hot Work Policy to reduce the risk of fire ignition by mill operations;   
  • Standardized safety procedures and support for operations through training sessions;  
  • Wildfire risk mitigation and preparation procedures for fighting wildfires; and   
  • Seasonal weather and severe storm event preparedness.  
• Mobile Equipment-Pedestrian Interface: In 2024, we continued to focus on eliminating risks in our mobile equipment-pedestrian interface areas. We installed vehicle safety technology, including pedestrian detection systems and dash cams. Some sites have a halo light projection system on utility forklifts that operate indoors or in dry sheds, improving visibility and awareness for operators and pedestrians. We have designated crosswalks and walkways with protective barriers to prevent employees from being struck by moving equipment.
• Drug and Alcohol Policy:  We continue to implement and learn from the drug and alcohol testing protocols in all our manufacturing operations and offices. This includes pre-employment, post-incident and reasonable cause scenarios, random drug testing, and follow-up. 

A contractor’s commitment and ability to keep employees safe and healthy is of utmost importance to us. Contractors must sign in and receive an orientation before they begin work so they are able to meet the current requirements at each site. Our ongoing, regular interaction with contractors includes monitoring and reporting of safety hazards, incidents and compliance. 

Woodlands

In our woodlands operations, we track and report the MIR of contractors and work with them to improve their performance. The MIR for woodlands contractors has declined over the last nine years and is lower than the industry average for forestry operations but we recognize that we still have more work to do. We commend our contractors for the progress they have made and their continued commitment to safety. 

Capital Projects

We carefully select the contractors who are involved in our capital projects and require them to demonstrate due diligence and report on key safety metrics. Each capital project plan incorporates safety as a key aspect, providing clear directions on safety standards and expectations covering topics such as lockout, hot work, incident investigation expectations, crane and lifting safety, confined spaces, and platform and walkway installation.