Holly J. Edsall
Principal Investigator

Holly Edsall (B.A., M.Div., M.Ed. -Adult) has had a variety of careers and has been employed in all of the Maritime Provinces. Spanning almost thirty years she has worked in the fields of Human Resource Management, Project Management, Ministry, and Education. Her teaching opportunities include: substituting in grades K-12; tutoring individuals in literacy, ESL, and GED; instructing classes at the New Brunswick Community College; and facilitating courses in University. Designing curriculum, conducting courses and evaluating material are almost second nature to her.

Phone: 902.422.4477 ext. 4   |   e-mail: holly.edsall@cme-mec.ca

Reflections      Success Stories      Participants

Reflections

By Holly Edsall

I have had the privilege of working with both a long-term employee and a relatively new worker. These individuals brought their own unique history to the subject of health and safety. Throughout the program, the more experienced individual indicated on several occasions, that he had served his time on the Joint Occupational Safety and Health Committee (JOSH) and it was time for new blood. He suggested that he would serve again if he was asked but he really wasn't interested in volunteering again. During the presentation to the supervisors in week ten, after giving a preliminary sketch of the curriculum and all that they had done, this same individual (unsolicited) volunteered to sit on this committee.

After various matching exercises, videos, and job hazard analysis, the two individuals began to see safety in a whole new light. They began their day by thinking about safety. They adjusted their own behaviour around machinery and stopped taking shortcuts to get their job done. They noticed an absence of signs around the shop floor that would prompt themselves and others to think safely. They expressed concerns about the process used for the training on a new machine. Finally, they observed things that everyone took for granted but were not best practices as far as safety was concerned.

Almost a dozen recommendations were presented to their supervisor, plant manager, and safety manager without a minute's hesitation. These two participants had suggestions and were keen to have them implemented. They were willing to support the changes in any way they could.

This was a wonderful experience. I have had the opportunity to be creative and resourceful, while navigating learners through a serious topic.

Success Stories

Maritime Paper Products Limited

The Learning a Culture of Safety course is an innovative and fun approach to teaching health and safety in the workplace. At one point during the training, Holly Edsall asked one of the workers what he thought about the course and, in response, he said that "this didn't feel like school at all."  The Safety Manager had forgotten that this was a pilot because "it went so well." This is a great testimonial that our program has brought health and safety learning into the next generation.

Northsyde Seafood Processing - North Sydney Cape Breton

Northsyde Seafood Processing started his final presentation with these words, "I learned there's a lot more to safety than one would think." When asked if this course changed their attitude towards health and safety in the workplace, one worker responded by saying "I'm more aware of what's around me - gases, etc. and I'm watching for leaks now...I check my work station before starting my shift and I make sure it's cleaned up after." This is just another example of how the ESSH program helped prevent health and safety related accidents in the workplace.

Chatman's Bakery

ESSH has definitely played a role in helping employees to better understand the importance of health and safety in the workplace. Our best practices and hands-on approach had the Health & Safety Coordinator at Chatman's Bakery in Charlottetown, Newfoundland, stating that she "would recommend this course to anybody." The Chatman's Bakery employee had the opportunity to work in the office where other employees would participate in the online training component and she would directly see positive outcomes. Moreover, Roxanne Weinheber, Owner and Operator of Chatman's Bakery, thanked our ESSH facilitator Andrew Harkness and Principal Investigator Holly Edsall for choosing their bakery. She said, "I can already see a difference in Amy and Nancy which is great. I think that they enjoyed it... I didn't notice them dreading the morning to come or swearing after it was done. It was a very worthwhile project and I'm sure it will continue."

Participants

	Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems develops and manufactures advanced communication, surveillance, command and control, and security systems for critical real-time applications in extreme environments.
	Northsyde Processing Ltd. was founded to process top-quality cooked and peeled shrimp from Nova Scotia and Maine's natural, wild-caught shrimp resource.
	Nautel is a global leader in the design and manufacture of radio transmitters for AM and FM radio stations, navigation, industrial, and even space-based applications, providing solutions for digital radio broadcast revolution.
	Chatman's Bakery Ltd. founded in 1979, now supply their homemade squares to retail markets throughout Newfoundland, Atlantic Canada and Ontario.
	Composites Atlantic Ltd. is a world leader in the design, testing, certification and manufacture of advanced composites for the aerospace, space, defense, and commercial industries.
	Maritime Paper Products Limited, a three-time winner of the N.S. Export Achievement Awards, is a privately-owned N.S. company and is the region's leader in the manufacture of quality corrugated packaging.