IEC Staff visit NOVA Chemicals and ECRC as part of Professional Development Day

Sarnia-Lambton Industrial Educational Cooperative staff recently had the opportunity to venture into the field to learn how health and safety and emergency preparedness practices are put into action at site.

As part of a Professional Development Day, IEC staff visited both NOVA Chemical’s AST-2 expansion project as well as the Eastern Canada Response Corporation on Aug. 20, 2021.

The tour of NOVA began with a site orientation for all staff that aligns with the topics taught in the IEC’s Basic Safety Orientation with a specific focus on rules and procedures at NOVA Chemicals. This was followed by an engaging presentation from NOVA’s Capital Project Responsible Care Team on how health and safety is approached at site. The AST-2 Construction Manager also attended and reinforced the value of the IEC training program and its impact on workers.

IEC staff then took a bus tour of the site and were shown the progress of the project as well as the different units that are under construction and what their function would be once the site is commissioned.

Following the tour of NOVA, the IEC departed for the Eastern Canada Response Corporation for a tour of their facilities and a presentation on how the ECRC responds to spills on the St. Clair River, as well as their capacity to respond to marine incidents throughout Canada.

This day of learning was instrumental for the IEC staff in learning more about how health and safety and emergency response efforts are enacted across the region, and the IEC would like to thank both NOVA Chemicals and ECRC for an informative and engaging day of development.