On April 28, we recognize World Day for Safety and Health at Work. At Methanex, our commitment to keeping our people safe and having safe operations is core to our Responsible Care^® ethic. Part of what it means to live by that ethic is looking for opportunities to provide leadership in health and safety.

In 2018, Methanex in Medicine Hat established a partnership with Minerva Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to health and safety education. Methanex’s interest in the partnership stemmed from Minerva’s relationship with post-secondary institutions and, more specifically, its work advocating for the inclusion of health and safety material in curriculum.

Methanex is excited to be participating in what Minerva describes as their “most ambitious initiative,” which sees industry experts partnered with grad students at Canadian universities to create teaching modules that address health and safety gaps in the curriculum of engineering students. This is in response to industry feedback that students are completing university with a limited understanding of health and safety.

“Minerva’s work is directly tied to the interests of our industry,” said Jody Magill, Stakeholder Relations manager, Medicine Hat. “These students will soon be entering the workforce and supporting Minerva’s efforts to educate them on health and safety is a very important initiative, and we are proud to contribute.”

Methanex employee Anneleen Müller, process and occupational safety supervisor, Medicine Hat, has been working closely with a professor and two post-graduate students from the University of Alberta on a risk communication module. The module aims to teach engineering students how to communicate risk to external stakeholders, during different scenarios based on real world examples. The module is a compilation of risk communication theories and case studies. The students reviewed the module with Anneleen at various points throughout its development, ensuring that the material was comprehensive and accurate.

The students also worked closely with Transport Canada and the Canadian Transport Emergency Centre (CANUTEC), who provided their expertise to the practical component of the module.

Once completed, all curriculum modules will be available for free on Minerva’s website.

“It’s rewarding to know that we are not only contributing to the education system and making a difference in the education of future students, but also meeting our commitment to keeping people safe,” said Anneleen.

Anneleen Müller is Methanex in Medicine Hat’s process and occupational safety supervisor. She said working with the University of Alberta on the development of the risk communication module was “rewarding” and reminded her “how good it feels to be learning.”