Improve Health & Safety Management… Every Day!
Rolland
Rolland, a subsidiary of Sustana, participates in the circular economy as a North American leader in
manufacturing recycled and sustainable commercial and security papers. As an environmental leader,
Rolland offers products made from recycled fibers manufactured using a chlorine-free process.
The mill is powered by renewable energy – biogas from landfills which helps reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. Rolland meets the highest sustainability standards by focusing on quality, performance,
and innovation. Rolland Enviro®’s line of papers made from 100% recycled fiber has the smallest
environmental footprint in North America in its industry.
More information about the company Rolland, Sustana Group.
Old School
Before digitizing their health and safety, Rolland’s processes were manual. Back in the day, regulation related to LOTO was not much enforced, so execution was improvised. Considering that the company must manage the accuracy of more than 200 lockout sheets, that the processes are complex and that the machines
have a high potential for severity, “we needed a real legal framework and a structure that was accessible to the employees, detailing the necessary steps for lockout,” says Marc Cloutier. Considering that a lockout error can result in cumulative delays of more than eight hours (loss of production), Rolland decided to eliminate these unforeseen events from the equation altogether.
The risk analyses were collected on paper forms, and the data was managed manually, as was typical in the pulp and paper industry.
“With the dangers of working in a paper mill, we couldn’t afford to have a tool that wasn’t 100 percent reliable. ” Josée Charron
An EHS shift – Impact & benefits on the team
“CONFORMiT is an essential working tool during the shutdown of paper machines,” Marc Cloutier, lockout manager.
When a maintenance job must be done, employees must stop the paper machines at predefined frequencies: we are talking about hundreds of pieces of equipment. So that implies multiple lockouts, depending on the work to be
done on the machines. “It’s always a challenge to be efficient and productive.” There can be up to ten lockouts and unplanned maintenances due to machine breakdowns. CONFORMiT is the tool that staff relies on to secure hazardous areas when working.
“In terms of assets, we have three paper machines. We are talking about hundreds of pumps and thousands of valves. We also have very high voltage electrical equipment. Papermaking is a very complex process.” Marc Cloutier
“Health & Safety take a prominent place,” Patrick Lebrun, Director of Maintenance and Engineering.
From Patrick Lebrun’s point of view, the return on investment cannot only be calculated in dollars. The nature of the machines and the magnitude of energies involved have the power to transform a banal accident into a drama. The human cost can be very high when a company does not have a straightforward lockout process and does not have the right tools.
“The most important return on our investment is knowing that our staff can work safely with a well established process and a reliable and powerful tool” Patrick Lebrun.
According to Patrick Lebrun, the CONFORMiT solution defines a consistent process across Rolland’s departments. Sometimes random and impromptu shutdowns occur in the company, and the lockout management module of CONFORMiT allows for a transparent process with compliant hazardous energy control procedures.
“With the CONFORMiT solution, we can reconcile being efficient in our time management while protecting employees. Marc Cloutier
The more efficient Rolland is in managing its shutdowns, the quicker the business can restart. If a shutdown is addressed from the start, it is safe, and the CONFORMiT EHS SaaS solution ensures this.
“Having a system you can rely on makes all the difference,” says Josée Charron, Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator.
Indeed, according to Ms. Charron, dedicated to building seamless EHS processes, having a solution as CONFORMiT has empowered teams at all levels. According to Josée Charron, all of Rolland’s actions are geared towards process optimization, which requires tools that can adapt to the different contexts of uses and technological changes. She is impressed with how the SaaS solution from CONFORMiT ticks all these boxes.
Compared to risk analysis, employees have all the data at their fingertips, and in real-time, they can see the risks and identify the hazards; the information is available. It allows you to work on priorities. “For me, it’s the ultimate tool,” adds Josée Charron.
Rolland has approximately 200 confined spaces documented – and managed in CONFORMiT Permit to Work module. They can add photos to detail prevention measures. It’s straightforward to use, images can be added with two clicks on a smartphone. Previously, these had to be printed and added to paper files.
With 200 workers, it’s not always the same people who access the information, so they needed a usable solution that everyone could use easily. An EHS solution in a large paper mill is more than technology, it is collective intelligence and best business practices. To achieve its objectives, Rolland is supported by a dedicated Client Success Managers who help optimize the use of the CONFORMiT solution. Josée Charron adds that there is a reassuring aspect to knowing that their team is supported and that it is great to just ask the CONFORMiT team questions and realize that we can help them achieve their objectives.
“Rolland has no difficulty achieving its objectives with CONFORMiT and the dedicated team of Customer Success Managers.
Let’s talk about sustainability (ESG)
ESG, as the acronym suggests, has three elements.
On the environmental side, the indirect effects of implementation ensure that spills or other ecological disorders caused by human error are avoided. On the environmental side, there is a growing awareness.
On the social side, the human factor is predominant. It is indeed a heavy responsibility to ensure safety. A system such as CONFORMiT controls the hazards and deals directly with the priorities. In this way, the system deployed will survive over the years and benefit other generations, a point that fits particularly well with Rolland’s corporate culture.
On the governance side, pulp & paper companies have a reputation to uphold. Doing good Health & Safety allows for a better corporate image and public relations. It is vital to capture any possibility of failure, which is precisely what CONFORMiT does brilliantly. On a more prosaic level, government entities demand foresight, efficiency, and authority in risk management and lockout program execution, which CONFORMiT does every day.
What will you do better manage your risks
your company at the next level?