Wednesday, May 23, 2012

ERC Tour 2012 - Sappi Paper



We visited Sappi Paper, in Skowhegan, Maine today. Skip Pratt, the Manager of Safety and Industrial Hygiene, provided a great overview of the safety and health issues at the paper mill. They have an extensive lock out tag out program, confined space entry procedures, and a process safety management program. After the overview, we were able to tour the paper mill. We saw how paper is made, dried, and rolled.  Sappi makes high end papers for magazines, annual reports, and other quality uses.


Thanks to Skip and his team for hosting us today, and allowing us to walk through the plant.



7 comments:

Shanshan said...

I thought this was a great tour. Love the video that they showed, it was very detailed and informative. It was a shame that we did not get to see the woodyard and the pulp mill, but the tour in the paper mill was definitely an eye-opening experience. They have a really good safety program I'd say. You can see signs and tags everywhere inside the plant and you can feel how dedicated they are to try to protect worker's health. And we noticed that they also post their "incidence log" for each day -- different color that represent whether it's a "safe workday","first aid" or "loss of worktime", right in front of the entrance. Great experience!

Nonso said...

A very organized facility. I was impressed with the number of paramedics onsite. It was a great experience.

Reyes said...

This was my favorite site we visited. Skip Pratt was a great host along with his team. This was my favorite because I learned the most about this industry compared to what I knew before the visit. There are many hazards at this site in which I believe Skip and his safety team have adequately controlled. It was a great experience to see what workers in the paper industry are exposed to.

Tarnima said...

There is soooo much that goes into the paper making process. It was wonderful to see a a company that obviously puts a lot fo effort into their safety program. I was able to learn a lot about occupational hazards and safety controls. This was a great learning experience! I must say cudos to Skip Pratt, the Security, and the Workers for working together to create what seems to be a safe working environment.

But I do wish we got to see the Pulp mill as well.

Jennifer Long said...

Despite the fact that the ear plugs we were wearing made it hard to hear the presentation, this was the best tour on our trip. Sappi has a excellent safety program and it was great to see it in action in the paper mill. The level of sophistication and inclusiveness of their safety program is something I'll have to aspire towards when I eventually enter the field.

Aresio Souza said...

This visit was great in all aspects. They really prepared us for the walkthrough with a nice presentation and we were able to discuss the safety issues before and after the visit.

soccer jerseys said...

A very organized facility! That was great!