Rising to the occasion: Nutrien employees honored with National Safety Council awards

Each year, the National Safety Council (NSC) honors Rising Stars of Safety, and we’re excited to share that Chad Crews and Killian Forbeteh are both recipients of this prestigious award – here’s why.

Chad Crews

As a Safety, Health & Environment (SHE) Advisor for Nutrien’s Retail facilities in the Carolinas, Chad has been instrumental in developing innovative safety solutions and training tools, which are helping to increase personnel safety and strengthen our Culture of Care. Outside of work, Chad volunteers as the chief of his local fire department to ensure the safety and wellbeing of his community.

“Safety is the basis of everything I do and stand for,” says Chad. “I am proud to be part of an organization that cares for their employees the way Nutrien does. Our leaders expect us to seek out weaknesses and work to eliminate them, and we are afforded any necessary support to accomplish these objectives – that’s all anyone can ask for in a company. The work I do here is rewarding, and it’s a nice feeling to be recognized by my peers for that work with the Rising Stars of Safety Award.”

Chad is leading the way in safety and driving results. He created the Driver of Excellence program to reward employees who demonstrate outstanding commitment to commercial vehicle safety, which has helped the organization achieve a notable increase in safety awareness and adherence to Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. He also helped develop a new site safety coordinator training program and a training video to help employees understand a new safety feature, seed box flippers, which aid in preventing injuries from fatigue and overexertion while breaking down heavy seed boxes for shipment.

“When Chad sees a problem, he takes ownership and action,” says Audrie Himel, Senior Manager, SHE Retail. “His dedication to safety is fueled by his professional aspirations and a deeply personal commitment to protecting the lives and wellbeing of his colleagues, the public and their families.”

To learn more about Chad, check out this profile story.

Killian Forbeteh

Killian demonstrates leadership skills in every aspect of his role as Supervisor, Surface Safety at Nutrien’s Vanscoy Potash mine. He begins each day by co-hosting scorecard meetings to engage the team in robust safety conversations and reinforce the importance of following procedures. His commitment to safety doesn’t end when he leaves work – Killian is a long-time volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross.

“I’m truly humbled and honored to have been named a recipient of the Rising Stars of Safety award,” he says. “This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the support from our SHE leadership team, the wonderful Nutrien family and the tremendous guidance and support from my mentors. This award not only validates my commitment to health and safety, but also serves as a reminder that the wellbeing of everyone is a top priority. I am thankful to everyone who adheres to our safety policies, procedures and standards, and share this accolade with the wonderful team at Vanscoy, my colleagues in the potash business unit and everyone in this exceptional organization.”

Killian has led several safety initiatives at Vanscoy, one of the most impactful being an in-depth review of the site’s personal protective equipment (PPE). After noticing two occurrences where employees had slipped, Killian observed that, both times, employees were wearing a specific work boot. He created a survey to gather feedback from employees, which confirmed that most workers who wear those boots found them to be slippery in icy conditions. Killian’s findings were sent to the boot vendor and manufacturer, which inspired them to develop a boot with a high-traction sole for cold weather, and since then, the site has not had any slip incidents related to work boots.

“Killian regularly impresses upon his colleagues the importance of following safety procedures and not taking shortcuts,” says Dan Jelinski, Senior Safety & Health Manager, Potash. “He never allows production pressures to influence safety practices and behaviors, and he approaches safety conversations with a thoughtful, collaborative and problem-solving attitude.”

To learn more about Killian, check out this profile story.