The Tuesday session covered best practices in time off policies, recent updates to the Affordable Care Act, an overview of the newest technologies in fire prevention, information on the inner workings of the capital markets, and a discussion on how to harness growth through local economic development. Then on Wednesday, participants toured Northstar Pulp and Paper’s recycling facility and a local materials recycling facility (MRF).
 
Additionally, a presentation by the Safety Council of Western New England and roundtable discussion by attendees produced the following tips for increasing employee compliance with plant safety procedures:

• Nominate recurrent violators and at-risk employees to serve on your company’s safety committee so as to make them cognizant of safety hazards and proper procedures.
• Institute automatic termination or another strict punishments for safety violations that occur in high-risk areas.
• Create penalties for multiple near miss incidents.
• Institute a buddy system for high-risk tasks and encourage immediate reporting if a safety incident does occur.
• Plan a safety day in which production is shut down so you can educate your staff on safety issues.
• Air safety video clips daily in the staff break room to reinforce safe practices.
• Ask an employee who has recovered from a safety injury to share his or her experience with staff.
• Conduct a live incident drill to gauge employee readiness and familiarity with procedures.

“Employee safety remains a perennial concern in our industry, and that’s why events such as PPC’s FEI-HR Forum are so important,” said Ben Markens, PPC President. “By providing a venue for executives throughout the industry to share best practices, we can promote a safe and productive workplace for all.”