At Genera Energy, we pride ourselves in having a very good track record for safety. We have exceeded four years without a lost time accident, and we strive to continue planting SEEDs. Not just biomass seeds, but a far more robust kind of seed. It can change the way you think about the tasks you do at work, at home, and also change the way you look at life. The seeds we plant are positive attitudes and a strong safety culture. This particular SEED we plant stands for SAFETY EXCELLENCE EVERY DAY. This acronym is very literal. It is more than just a quote. If we don’t achieve that goal, then we fail.
Once you plant a seed, you have to water it and encourage it to grow. From a safety perspective, we want to do the same thing. We want to encourage our employees and contractors to grow in a safety culture. The rigorous training, standard operating procedures, regular auditing, and continual innovation enable our employees to operate in the safest manner possible.
At Genera, we are regularly involved in 3 of the top 10 most dangerous industries in the country. We deal with explosive dust, flammable products, agricultural equipment, industrial equipment, and chemicals in our various activities. One of the key risks that is often overlooked, however, lies in processing crops into uniform format feedstocks. When grinding, milling and conveying biomass, foreign materials in the incoming feedstock pose threats throughout the processing system. Rocks, metal, and general field debris can wreak havoc on equipment. The primary risk, though, is explosion and fire. Whether you have friction heating from rocks caught in conveyors or a piece of metal entering a mill causing a spark, the potential and danger is very real. These sources of heat can cause fires in the system or generate explosions.
Fortunately our systems are designed to mitigate these types of situations from occurring. We have magnetic metal removal equipment and have designed our facilities to ensure safety if an event were to occur. Our primary goal is to keep our people safe and protecting our equipment secondary. Where we may not have an engineered solution, rocks for example, we rely on very thorough procedures and policies that guide inspections, maintenance, and housekeeping. Our high quality employees are trained to observe the system, identify problems, and address them quickly. Our internal safety programs (highlighted in previous posts) enable us to maintain a safe environment for employees and customers.
With a strong safety program of annual audits, training, and continuous improvement, we rise to the challenge of meeting our safety needs. Our efforts are exemplified by our safety record as we strive to continue planting SEEDs.
By Austin Beddingfield, Operations Coordinator
