On May 10th, 2017, Moules Industriels was declared the winner of the ”Grand Prix Santé et Sécurité” in the Innovation SME’s category for the Eastern Townships region by the ”Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST)”. This prize rewards proactive realisations in Health and Safety in the Workplace.
The 3 in 1 cooling table for heating containers created by Francis Labbé, who is a welder at Moules Industriels, allowed Moules Industriels to come away with this prize. Before this invention, the welders needed to manually remove the scorching hot metal containers from ovens and place them on tables where they were cooled with compressed air. With oven temperatures at over 1000C, the containers were heated to harden the steel. The manipulation of the heavy containers increased the risk of severe burns. “These manoeuvres were very unstable with an elevated risk of dropping a container, burning yourself or even a colleague” confirms Francis Labbé. Francis conceived the idea a designing a table with a rolling plateau equipped with integrated cooling nozzles for the hot containers. As a result the hardening container would roll smoothly onto the table with the cooling process underway immediately.
This very low cost innovation considerably reduced the risk of injury while increasing the efficiency of the cooling process with diminished electricity consumption.
The Plant Manager of Moules Industriels, Alexandre Cote’s smile beamed after receiving the prize. “This success shines greatly on the innovation and the leadership of the Moules Industriels team. Security in the workplace and an entrepreneurial spirit are two precious values in the company. We proudly congratulate Francis Labbé for this valuable project that allowed us to win this prize!
In regards to other categories, Moules Industriels in nomination for the National Gala of Grand Prix for Health and Safety in the workplace which will be held in the spring of 2018 in Quebec City. Until then, the company will continue to promote the implications of its employees in health and safety in the work place rendering it as safe and stimulating as possible.
