From Hands Off to Hands On Safety

This article was originally published in the July/August 2026 issue of Paper360° and is being shared here with AOTC readers who may have missed it. You can access the entire issue here.

PIMA hosted a safety session at TAPPICon 2026 that featured three informative topics relevant to advancing safety in the industry. There were two presentations from market suppliers and a contractor safety management panel.

The session kicked off with Thierry LeBlanc (ConformIT) on how safety managers can use AI to improve efficiency. Safety managers can often get bogged down by paperwork keeping them from valuable time on the floor. AI can be used to access historical databases, permits, and safety standards, giving safety managers a broad perspective of tools when addressing daily safety issues—both proactively and post-incident. The use of AI can help less experienced safety managers identify trends that an experienced safety manager would more easily identify.

The second session included a case study overview by Brian Mock (Event Capture Systems) and Eric Wright (International Paper). The mill they profiled used edge-based Artificial Intelligence camera systems that can be integrated directly with machine program logic controllers (PLCs).

The cameras can identify human presence in areas that should not be accessed while equipment is running. In these areas—defined as “red zones”—equipment can be shut down and/or prevented from startup when humans are identified in the area. This new capability takes camera systems beyond compliance monitoring to enabling control actions that prevent line‑of‑fire injuries while maintaining production uptime. An example was shared by Brian and Eric where use of this system on paper machine winders was able to drive approximately 80 percent reduction in unsafe human‑machine interactions.

The application of the technology also resulted in a surprise benefit: what Eric called a “human interlock”! Because operators want to prevent interruption of the equipment, they are watching out more closely for each other and proactively keeping each other out of the red zones.

The session closed with a Contractor Safety Management session co-hosted by PIMA and TAPPISAFE. Kurt Mehlberg (Domtar) and Leslie Petrie (TAPPI) co-facilitated a panel including Don Goymerac (Miron Construction), Dustin Lanier (Smurfit Westrock), and Sarah Loner (Solenis). The panel explored contractor safety best practices and opportunities.

Sarah spoke to a powerful video that Solenis had recently developed entitled “Wish I Had Said Something.” She emphasized the importance of creating an environment where “stop work” is promoted and celebrated. It is human nature to want to keep going and finish a job—especially in a mill where production is critical. Developing a culture of Stop Work Authority must be a deliberate focus for ALL mill personnel, including contractors.

Dan shared a “20-20-20” approach. Employees are encouraged to stop work every 20 minutes, take 20 seconds, and assess a 20–foot radius of their surroundings. This encourages a constant evaluation of conditions and encourages the Stop Work mindset when conditions have changed.

Dustin spoke to the importance of building safety into contractual obligations and ensuring contractors are trained and prepared to work on site. He also reiterated the importance of celebrating a Stop Work mindset.

PIMA, Couch Pit University, and TAPPISAFE also teamed up during the TAPPICon Hot Topics session, with a table focused on Creating a Safety-First Mindset. Kurt and Leslie hosted these sessions along with students Kobe Sabally and Jacob Ramirez from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Paper Science and Chemical Engineering program.

The session sparked excellent discussion about hazard recognition and safety culture. Safety in the pulp and paper industry has come a long way, with many proactive safeguards that were not present 30 years ago such as lock out tag out and confined space entry protocols. However, as an industry we still experience serious injuries and we have never gone an entire year fatality-free in North America. Perspective from students new to the industry is very valuable in helping us recognize how to continuously drive safety forward.

One student shared a very serious safety near miss: he was almost struck by a roll falling from a guillotine. Recognition of stored energy and line of fire incident prevention was further discussed by the group, along with what companies can do to teach hazard recognition to employees new to role.

The PIMA Safety Committee holds monthly virtual meetings with the goal of proactively reducing risk and advancing safety in the pulp and paper industry. They have developed two safety focused Technical Information Papers (TIPs)—including Hands on Safety Training and Pre-Job Risk Analysis. If you are interested in joining the PIMA safety subcommittee, please contact Hannah Peterson at hpeterson@tappi.org.

Leslie Petrie is retired from International Paper and is a TAPPI Fellow and member of TAPPI’s Board of Directors. Kurt Mehlberg is a quality solutions manager at Domtar and an active leader within TAPPI’s PIMA Division.