New Canopy Class certification raises the bar for contractors
Image: The Skipps Logging crew with Safetree's Mark Preece
When Skipps Logging became one of the first contractors to achieve Safetree’s new Canopy Class certification recently, they celebrated the win with a special presentation in Cambridge.
The certification, which Skipps helped pilot, is designed to recognise contractors who demonstrate excellence in health and safety and create a pathway for continuous improvement.
When assessing Contractor Certification, Safetree auditors take note of those exceeding expectations in specific areas and assess whether they should be awarded the higher Canopy Class status.
For years, Skipps Logging's Mandie Skipps has championed the idea of a tiered certification system that rewards contractors committed to raising standards, not just meeting them.
“Safetree Contractor Certification is the baseline, and in my opinion, everyone in logging should have it,” she says.
Skipps says what she likes about Canopy Class is the recognition of those businesses that want to keep moving forward.
"It encourages you to keep asking: ‘What can we do better?' rather than just settling for the minimum.
“As a contractor, you'd hope the effort that goes into achieving Canopy Class status helps build your reputation, brings more opportunities, and makes it easier to attract and retain good people."
Safetree Certification Manager Mark Preece presented the certification to Skipps in person and says the pilot has been a great success.
“For contractors looking to stand out, strengthen their culture and demonstrate leadership in health and safety, Canopy Class offers a way to show they are operating above and beyond the baseline.
“We’re really excited that this is now in place for the sector. We believe it reflects a real evolution in our industry’s health and safety approach."
Skipps says that after moving away from the corporate environment, Skipps Logging realised the health and safety expectations could vary from one forest manager to another.
“Rather than letting our standards change, we chose to keep setting the bar high within our own business," she says.
“It’s (Canopy Class) been great recognition just to make sure that we are still on track, still at the bar we want to be at, and to see if we can learn any new things or develop new approaches within our own company.
"It made us think a bit differently about where we could improve but also reinforced the importance of the things we've always done well and not taking those for granted.”
Skipps says it can be easy to fall into the ‘don’t spend, you don't know what tomorrow will bring’ mindset.
“You can't control what the industry is going to do next, but you can control how you look after your people. That's an investment we will never question.
“At the end of the day, you’ve still got to maintain that safety is an investment in your business. So, you can make sure everyone gets home safe, every day.”
Want to know more about Canopy Class? Contact Safetree Certification Manager Mark Preece.
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