Press Release

July 24, 2009

Mississauga, Ontario – July 24, 2009 – Two Stratford, Ontario-based firms were recognized today with IAPA Level I Health & Safety Achievement Awards.

Gates Canada Inc., an industrial and automotive product manufacturer, and Hayashi Canada Inc., producer of automotive interior trim products, each received their first achievement award in recognition of their journey towards health and safety excellence.
Gates Canada Inc. was presented with a Level I award because of its diligence and commitment to creating a safe workplace. It is a member of IAPA’s Safety Group program, which allows it to network and share health and safety best practices with other local companies. The company has an active Joint Health & Safety Committee (JHSC) and regular health and safety training for staff is the norm. In addition, the facility executes sound workplace inspection procedures and all staff meet once a month to talk about health and safety issues.

Hayashi Canada Inc. has experienced zero lost-time injuries for more than two years and is also an active member of IAPA’s Safety Group program. Its health and safety management program consists of weekly work area inspections by supervisors along with monthly inspections by its JHSC. Staff have adopted health and safety best practices such as cleaning and organizing their workplaces at the end of each shift. They are encouraged to share their ideas to improve the company’s health and safety management program through its “Kaizen” program. 

"Today, we celebrate the achievements of two Stratford firms who are making health and safety a priority in their workplaces," says Lois Weeks, Program Development & Delivery Consultant, IAPA. "In reaching this milestone, Gates Canada Inc. and Hayashi Canada Inc. have shown their commitment to creating a sound health and safety management program that will not only continue to make their firms safer but healthier as well. They are to be commended for making the well-being of their staff a priority during challenging times."

“We are honoured to be recognized for our accomplishments,” says General Manager, Doug Asbridge, Gates Canada Inc. “The health and safety of all our employees is an essential part of our business. Everyone at our facility fully participates in health, safety, and environmental initiatives, as well as in producing quality products for our customers. Achieving this award is a result of everyone’s effort to continually improve our health and safety program. I am proud to be a member of the team here with great people doing a great job.”

“It’s an honour to not only receive this recognition for our safety efforts, but to work for an organization that puts safety above all. Safety has always been our first priority and it is evident through the success of this award and the well being of our team members,” says Jennifer Meyer, Human Resources Team Leader, Hayashi Canada Inc. who received the award on behalf of the company. “The internal responsibility system is a philosophy that many companies strive to achieve and we are fortunate enough to have it instilled into our culture and the mindset of every individual that works here.”

To be considered for the award, both firms completed a self-assessment report to demonstrate that their health and safety program met IAPA award requirements, which included prevention methods, legislative compliance, management practices, and lost-time injury frequencies. IAPA also conducted onsite verifications of Gates Canada Inc.’s (June 23, 2009) and Hayashi Canada Inc.’s (June 16, 2009) health and safety management program to ensure they met the award criteria.

IAPA’s three-level health and safety awards program was launched in 2002. The program is designed to celebrate an organization’s journey towards achieving workplace health and safety excellence. Since the inception of the program, 49 companies have received the Level I Health and Safety Achievement Award.

Gates Canada Inc. (gates.com) is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of industrial and automotive products, systems, and components with operations in 25 countries. Gates maintains sales and marketing operations in every major industrial and automotive market, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Gulf Region. Gates is part of the Industrial & Automotive group of Tomkins plc, a global engineering group listed on both the London (TOMK) and New York (TKS) stock exchanges, and with revenue of $5.5 billion in 2008. Tomkins plc has over 33,000 employees worldwide and enjoys strong market positions and technical leadership across all of its business activities and owns some of the best-known brands in their respective markets.

Hayashi Canada Inc. is a Japanese automotive supplier that manufactures interior trim products for automobiles. Hayashi Canada’s parent company, Hayashi Telempu Co., Ltd, was founded in 1910 in Japan and opened its first Canadian division in Stratford, Ontario in 2007 in order to support its North American customer base. Hayashi Canada has achieved worldwide success and has operations in the United States, Thailand, Korea, China, and more.

IAPA (Industrial Accident Prevention Association) is a not-for-profit, member-driven organization operating in Ontario since 1917. Representing approximately 50,000 member firms and more than 1.5 million Ontario workers, IAPA is Canada’s leader in workplace health, safety, and employee well-being. IAPA is focused on providing industry-leading training, consulting, educational products, and informational services that meet our members’ needs and the needs of those in their communities. IAPA is also recognized as a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre in Occupational Health and an International Labour Organization – CIS Collaborating Centre. IAPA  is ISO 9001 certified and has been awarded the National Quality Institute’s Progressive Excellence Program Level 4 for Quality Certificate and the Canada Awards for Excellence Gold Trophy Awards for Quality and Healthy Workplace.

ATTENTION MEDIA:   IAPA is now accepting applications for the 2010 IAPA Russ Ramsay Media Awards for Excellence in Health and Safety Reporting. All Ontario trade and consumer media – print (newspapers or magazines), radio, and television – distributed and broadcast in Ontario are invited to submit pieces of work focusing on workplace health and safety. Universities and colleges are also invited to submit work in the Student Media print and radio categories. Only work published or aired between January 1 and December, 31, 2009 will be eligible. For award consideration, all materials must be submitted to IAPA by Tuesday, February 9, 2010.

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For more information, contact:

Lena Wan                                                                                 
Communications and PR Specialist, IAPA                                 
Tel: 905-614-4272, ext. 2247
Email: lwan@iapa.ca