Put health back into health, safety.At Sudbury-based Sandvik
Sandvik is a Swedish company founded in 1862 by Göran Fredrik Göransson in Sandviken. Mining and Construction, company policy is to put the "health" back into health and safety policy. "Too often, companies, especially in a mining town like Sudbury, focus only on the safety side of health and safety. Companies sometimes include it just to complete the phrase," says Gilles Lebeau, general manager of the company. Sandvik Mining and Construction is a division of Sandvik Tamrock, a Swedish-based high technology engineering group. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Lebeau, improving health in industry is one way to improve the image of Sudbury's industrial base. "Our company tries to promote healthy lifestyles. We think that's important. Sudbury has received a lot of bad press recently because of its low life expectancy Life Expectancy 1. The age until which a person is expected to live. 2. The remaining number of years an individual is expected to live, based on IRS issued life expectancy tables. . We can say it's the environment we live in. But, when the day is done, we need to improve it," he says. One of the innovative ways Sandvik is trying to promote healthy lifestyles among its employees is the introduction of a 75 per cent reimbursement Reimbursement Payment made to someone for out-of-pocket expenses has incurred. on membership in Weight Watchers. The company is also cautious about the commitment employees have to the program. They require company workers to put forward 25 per cent of the cost of enrolling and they do not reimburse re·im·burse tr.v. re·im·bursed, re·im·burs·ing, re·im·burs·es 1. To repay (money spent); refund. 2. To pay back or compensate (another party) for money spent or losses incurred. the employee until after they have completed a certain percentage of the classes. Officials also say they are willing to listen to any other ideas that will promote healthy living. The company also helps employees who are trying to kick their smoking habits. Sandvik will support as many attempts as it takes for a particular employee to quit smoking. Sandvik is also looking into the possibility of building a health facility in its building. Many employees, he says, cannot make the long trip downtown to an exercise gym from the company's office in Lively. Lebeau says the presence of both male and female shower rooms Noun 1. shower room - a room with several showers room - an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling; "the rooms were very small but they had a nice view" shower bath, shower stall - booth for washing yourself, usually in a bathroom in the building makes the possibility of a fitness facility even that more realistic for the company. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The company's overall policy is to be flexible when it comes to suggestions from employees and to approach health and safety as part of the overall productivity strategy of the company, says Lebeau. Sandvik also supports education as a way of investing in its employees. Children of employees are able to work a few summers at the company if they qualify for a program that is targeted at helping students who are entering or into their first year of post-secondary education. Sandvik will also help fund an employee's education related to the employee's field of expertise or ambitions within the company. www.smc.sandvik.com BY JOSEPH QUESNEL Joseph Quesnel (15 November 1746 – 3 July 1809) was a French Canadian composer, poet, and playwright. Among his works were two operas, Colas et Colinette and Lucas et Cécile; the former is considered to be the first Canadian opera. Northern Ontario Business Northern Ontario Business is a Canadian magazine, which publishes monthly in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The magazine covers business news and issues in Northern Ontario. |
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