Initiatives
Diversity
Quality is at the core of everything Ross Machine Shop does. Our slogan is “Where Quality Counts.” We are dedicated to providing quality customer service and producing quality work for our clientele. All employees are given opportunities to build a fulfilling career. Our apprentices receive quality learning opportunities from quality mentors.
Ross Machine Shop believes (1) diversity is about bringing people with different experiences together for the common good; (2) in a workplace where everyone is welcome, where everyone is given quality opportunities, and where everyone is respected; (3) a diverse and inclusive workplace will be more successful; and (4) a business should reflect the communities it serves.
Only a handful of our employees have voluntarily self-identified as Indigenous or a visible minority. However, as this is a personal choice, it is not reflective of our entire staff. Have we made headway? Yes. Could we be doing better? Again, yes. Ross Machine Shop has introduced cultural awareness training modules to educate our staff.
Ross Machine Shop is actively hiring individuals with the skills and knowledge to be productive in a machine shop environment. We encourage all candidates to apply today! If you have a suggestion to help us recruit diverse tradespeople, we would love to hear from you.
Did you know that…
...the Cree name for the land Regina is located on is oskana kâ-asastêki, or ᐅᐢᑲᓇ ᑳ ᐊᓴᐢᑌᑭ in syllabics?
...there are five dialects of Cree? Two, Y and Th (otherwise known as Plains and Woodland), are commonly spoken in Saskatchewan.
Safety
At Ross Machine Shop and Armour Steel Fabricators, employee health and safety is an integral part of the workplace and we are strongly committed to the prevention of accidents and occupational illnesses. To ensure this, we staff a full time health and safety coordinator and have implemented a health and safety program to develop and maintain the safest working conditions for all our employees. In February 2018, both Ross Machine Shop and Armour Steel Fabricators maintained their SASM Silver Level CoR (Certificate of Recognition) for their health and safety program.
We believe that safety begins with teamwork and is a shared responsibility between management, supervisors and employees. Managers and supervisors are responsible for ensuring that employees are trained in safe work procedures and for addressing all safety issues promptly. They are also responsible for promoting general safety consciousness in the workplace. Employees are responsible for incorporating the safety procedures of the health and safety program into their daily work routine and have a duty to promptly report to their supervisor any hazardous conditions or incidents that result in injury, property or equipment damage, product loss, damage to the environment, or any near miss incident that could have resulted in one of the above.
All of the employees of Ross Machine Shop and Armour Steel Fabricators are responsible for the success of our health and safety program. By working together to fulfill our health and safety responsibilities, everyone will share the benefits of a safe workplace. Through training and education, all of the employees of Ross Machine Shop and Armour Steel Fabricators are working together to create a safe workplace environment for everyone who comes through our doors.
If you would like to see our total recordable injury frequency or WCB rates please contact us for further information.
Our employees receive the following safety training:
- First Aid CPR-C & AED
- SCOT & WHMIS
- WHMIS 2015
- Confined Space Awareness
- Respiratory Protection
- Hearing Protection
- Fall Protection
- H2S Alive
- Forklift Training
- Rigging Training
- Overhead Crane Training
- Telehandler Training
- Aerial Lift Training
- Supervisor Training
- OHSC Level I & II
- Ergonomics
- Hand Safety Awareness
- Ladder Safety
- Mine Safety Awareness Training
- Any other training required by our customers
Environmental
In our industry, we strive for a circular economy. Our business is based on refurbishing equipment for our customers, we refurbish any parts that are within economic repair and any parts in useable shape are reconditioned & reused. If it cannot be refurbished or reused, it is recycled.
Ross Machine Shop and Armour Steel Fabricators are actively reducing our carbon footprint. We do everything we can to reduce, reuse & recycle.
In 2019, we installed 98 solar panels on the roof of our newest building. This system’s size is 35.77kW and will generate approximately 42,333 kWh annually. In 2021, we installed 220 more panels, 60 panels on the roof of our main building and 160 panels spread out on eight pole mounts in our yard. These are adjusted up to seven times annually to catch as much solar energy as possible. These 220 panels are bifacial and collect solar energy from both sides of the panel, so directly from the sun, but also from the light reflected on vehicles and the snow. This system’s size is 80.3kW and generates approximately 140,945 kWh annually. Combined all panels generate 116.07kW which is approximately 183,278 kWh annually. This is equal to planting 256,643 trees. Together this covers approximately 25% of our electrical energy consumption.
We have an active recycling program. We currently recycle cardboard, steel, alloys, carbide, batteries, used oil & paint, spray cans and pop cans. We also focus on reusing our supplies and reducing our waste. We reclaim and re-use the coolants used in our equipment. We have installed air cleaners onto our lathes, milling machines and welding machines to reduce the amount of chemicals entering our air. We have purchased welders with updated technologies that reduce the amount of fumes created and sent into the environment.
We have multiple strategies in place to make sure we are energy efficient and conserve energy where possible. Some of the strategies are:
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- installing motion lights,
- transitioning to LED lighting,
- ensuring equipment turned off when not in use, and
- when purchasing new equipment searching for the most energy efficient option.
All water consumption is tracked and reviewed annually. We have a program in place to conserve, reduce and reuse water in our operations. We do not consume a lot of water. One step we took to reduce our usage even further was to plant an eco-friendly lawn that requires less water.
We also support different conservation initiatives, like the Delta Waterfowl which helps conserve habitat for ducks.
