Plant Operator Donald White Wins WPAC’s Safety Hero Award

Congratulations to Donald White, who is being recognized this month by the Wood Pellet Association of Canada as a Safety Hero for his significant contributions to making the workplace safer and better for others.

Donald White, plant operator at Shaw Renewables in Hardwood Lands, Nova Scotia, is WPAC’s latest Safety Hero. Photo: Shaw Renewables.

Donald is a plant operator at Shaw Renewables in Hardwood Lands, Nova Scotia, whose upstanding work ethic and commitment to the safety of his co-workers have consistently led to improvements in the plant’s safety management system.

As industry leaders, converting local biomass waste into high-quality biofuel products, the company’s safety culture is the top priority. Donald has been instrumental in training new assistant operators to safely perform their job functions.

Manager Dan Washburn nominated Donald for the award. “Donald always takes the initiative to point out safety concerns when they arise, either to management or through our EHS system.” Dan says. “He is always available for collaboration in making our plant a safer place to work, and Donald’s ideas have spurred safety improvements throughout our plant.”

Shaw Renewables’ commitment to safety led the company to set up an area featuring WPAC’s Safety Hero Initiative poster and a nomination box to encourage employees to recommend their fellow employees for this important award. Not surprisingly, Donald received the most nominations from his peers.

The Safety Hero award recognizes individuals who are making a difference by helping to make their facilities safer and keeping their co-workers and employees safe.

Let’s keep recognizing the efforts of our colleagues who ensure we all go home safely every day.  By acknowledging this work, we are reconfirming our commitment to safety and raising awareness of the actions we can all take—big or small—every day to make our sector safer.

Do you know a safety hero? Nominate someone today online here.


Gordon Murray is the executive director of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada.