In August, North Forge celebrated a milestone and well-deserved achievement in becoming SAFE Work Certified, by Made Safe.

Certification is a way to recognize an organization for meeting a standard for safety and health performance in the workplace. This includes practices that are part of the comprehensive safety and health management system and also includes quality assurance as well as processes to ensure continuous improvement. 

Getting certified was not an overnight feat. Marney Stapley, Vice President of North Forge, got the ball rolling when it came to certification but the process required buy-in from everyone involved in the Fabrication Lab. She worked closely with Nathan Rasmussen, Safety Advisor at Made Safe. 

The entire certification process took two years and once it was complete, a celebration was held at the Fabrication Lab to commemorate the achievement. 

“It’s an honour to be part of a community that chooses to be safe,” said Teresa Dukes, President of North Forge. “The complexity of certification and the incredible leadership it took to establish a community of safety is extremely impressive.” 

Certification is an important recognition of North Forge’s safety culture and commitment to offering a safe place for all our members. 

“It is important for the North Forge Fabrication Lab to be SAFE Work Certified so businesses, universities and colleges can have the peace of mind knowing that they are sending their employees and students to a safe environment,” says Stapley. “It’s also important for all members to feel safe and have access to the information and resources to be safe.”

One member described the certification as “now ‘legitimizing’ the prototypes that are made out of the Fabrication Lab.”