Do you know a safe worker? Nominate them for the 2017 Safe Worker Award. Deadline for entries is October 31, 2016.

The mining industry presents many hazards. Many of the hazards, by the nature of the mining industry, are different from hazards in other industrial sectors. For example, digging and complex mining processes may lead to ground instability. “When you’re dealing with industrial hazards, there is a lot you have to manage to keep the work environment safe,” says Lanny. “You have different gases, height hazards, heat hazards, confined spaces and congested work areas.”

Lanny Storey, a journeyperson scaffolder with AREVA Resources Canada Inc., won the WorkSafe Saskatchewan 2016 Safe Worker award.

Lanny’s story begins at AREVA’s uranium mines in northern Saskatchewan. AREVA also has a uranium mill in McClean Lake.

The mill is where workers extract uranium from the mined rock. The process uses water and hazardous chemicals to remove the uranium and creates sulphur dioxide (SO2) which alters pH levels in the boiler and airborne gases. The workers use ammonia to neutralize the pH – another hazardous chemical.

When the ammonia mixes with the SO2, the mill workers are exposed to toxic chemicals.

AREVA implemented Lanny’s idea to eliminate the gas by installing an overflow pipe in the mill’s work area to eliminate the risk of inhaling the hazardous gases. The overflow pipe prevents the release of gas into the air. The design change eliminated the need for workers to wear respirators and allowed Lanny and his coworkers to work in the area safely.

When explaining his fix, Lanny uses the word ‘we’ instead of ‘I’. The fix wasn’t for him. He suggested it for his coworkers’ safety – and he was persistent (some coworkers would say stubborn) about it. “The gases affect them far more than it does me. It’s the air they’re breathing,” Lanny explains. “I work in all areas of the mill and the mines, not just in one concentrated area like they do.”

Lanny knows that personal protective equipment (PPE) is the last line of defense in hazard control. His long-term control is a safer solution and one that allows his coworkers the freedom from constantly putting on and taking off PPE (and running the risk of forgetting to use it). It also reduced costs of purchasing PPE for this work area.        

Lanny’s idea led to other safety improvements at the mill. AREVA installed alarms that alert workers if the air is unsafe to breathe. The new controls warn workers not to enter the area.

Lanny doesn’t see himself as a safety leader – he says he’s doing his job. “I feel that as a scaffolder, I’m dealing with my safety and everyone else’s safety at the same time. Whether it is heights or distances, we (the scaffolders) make it a better and safer place for the other trades to work.”

His concern for others doesn’t end there. Having two young boys ages three and five, Lanny says that he must set an example for them. “My boys, they copy me. They see that I wear the earmuffs and safety glasses when I mow the lawn. They put on earmuffs and safety glasses when they play or help me in the yard.”

For Lanny, safety is about everyone working and living safe every day. By setting an example at work and at home, Lanny is helping Saskatchewan achieve Mission: Zero.