May Newsletter

Mine & Tailings Monthly Newsletter—May 2022 Mine & Tailings

Issue 1 | May 1/2 Monthly Newsletter—May 2022

The FH Cares Committee had a very busy Welcome to the Fort Hills Mine & Tailings Monthly Newsletter!
month of May and made significant headway
on several key focus areas. SAFETY ABOVE ALL ELSE
The monthly Hazard Champions were:
 Secondary Extraction Maintenance: Suc- Mining & Tailings Operations Incident - 2022

L cessfully delivered spring turnaround with- Updated to JAN FEB MAR APR MAY
out dropped object event (and including)
MINE LOGISTICS  Bryant Culhane & Joseph Jenkinson (MEM): May 31st, 2022 2 5 15 7 10
Effective line of fire hazard management 1 0 1 0 1
May saw the near completion of the utilities allowing technicians to “fail safely” First Aid 1 0 1 1 5
tent which will house our motivator to keep it  Jeremy Troake & Braunt Pierce (Tailings): Medical Treatment 0 1 0 0 0
Respectful interventions and ownership 22 23 17 18 15
warm on the chilly winter nights. mindset Restricted Work
 Duran Young (Inline Survey): Implemented SIFp
controls to eliminate potential drone/
helicopter interaction Equipment Damage
 Abdul Aden (Terracon Geotechnique): Safely
escorted stranded personnel (radio mal- RECENT INCIDENTS AND TRENDS SOFT TISSUE INJURY FOCUS
function) from active mining area
In other news: 3 most recent recordable events Steps you can take:
Colin Butt (Construction Manager) joined the E-2022-9959 – Individual falls from grader catwalk while
committee to better represent the interests of checking fluids resulting in left arm injury • Mind on task—stay focused on your surroundings
the hundreds of project personnel supporting Corrective Actions:
our operation and a formal inspection of the and the task you have been asked to preform
Light Vehicle Maintenance Facility was com- • Review Hazard and Identification Control presentation
pleted. The team was impressed by the • Hazard assessment—assure your FLHA has been
breadth of the team’s portfolio and level of em- with all crews at toolbox meetings
ployee/contactor engagement. completed to include hazards associated with tran-
• Install fluorescent grip tape to all contractor equipment sition, repetitive tasks and “regular/routine” work
AND Have Feedback on the Newsletter or Want
Your Group’s Update in the Next Publica- handrails Active discussion around mitigating hazards that con-
The removal of the HVC poles on SWHR and E-2022-5899 - Bus passengers experience discomfort after tribute to soft tissue injuries under way at Tool Box talk
the repair of the HVC on the 280 east. tion? shift change bus hits bump
Please Email Us: Corrective Actions: and Safety meetings
Stay tuned for more updates [email protected]
next month! • Review with shift change bus drivers to ensure clear un- JUNE SAFETY FOCUS
While vacant positions
Pg. 8 during Q1 have been derstanding of seasonal effects on road conditions Loading practices – sit safe/load & load management
filled, we are continu- Seasonal driving conditions – dusty conditions and
ally assessing future • Implementation of audits for “Seatbelt Campaign” increase following distances as required
requirements for staff. Review of RMIS00055 – Mine Operations/Maintenance
More postings can be E-2022-7715 - HEO struck head on rock truck side window Equipment Exchange; in-field adherence to procedure
Corrective Actions: verification
Congested work areas with heavy traffic/lay-downs
• Supervision to complete worksite inspection that is spe- requiring attention in pre-planning haul routes, stag-
ing locations and equipment interactions
cifically focused on work area access/egress

• Evaluation of replacing the existing waist belt with a 3-

point seatbelt for the equipment model(s)

An increase in soft tissue

injuries has been identified

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Mine & Tailings Monthly Newsletter—May 2022 Mine & Tailings Monthly Newsletter—May 2022

TO THE TEAM GREAT PLACE TO WORK TRUST INDEX:
Culture Inclusion Focus Groups
New Fort Hills Vice-President Sighting!
Fort Hills Great Place to Work Trust Index was shared in their employee webcast on March 15. During that ses-
The Mine and Tailings ACFT hosted incoming Fort Hills Vice-President Alisdair Gibbons on June 3rd sion, the need to focus on cultivating an inclusive workplace by closing inclusion gaps was highlighted. This year,
for a comprehensive tour of our assets and facilities. Tour stops included MEM, OPTA, South Pit and our focus is on our female workforce and the significant gap between what the workplace experience is based on
Center Pit operations and provided the leadership team with an opportunity to showcase successes gender.
and highlight the challenges ahead.
Alisdair comes to Suncor with over 30 years of mining ex- To help us better understand some specific aspects of your experience, we invite you to join an informal, volun-
perience including significant green and brownfield mine tary focus group to further discuss the Trust Index results and your individual experience working at Fort Hills.
development. His previous employers include world class Each session will be led by our HR Strategic Partner, Kelsey Vaillant and will be kept confidential. Each session will
operators such as Anglo American and BHP in a variety of be offered in-person & online through Teams. The date/time will be determined once participation is confirmed.
key leadership roles throughout South Africa, Colombia,
Australia and Canada. If you would like to share your perspective, email Kelsey at [email protected] by Friday, June 10 to indicate
Alisdair will succeed outgoing Fort Hills Vice- your interest. Please include your name, location (i.e. Calgary, FH site) and shift.
President
Mike Agnew on June 21st. Mike will be transitioning Following the focus groups, a summary of the key themes and opportunities will be shared with FHLT and the
to a senior leadership role within Denis Banks’ Oper- Fort Hills Workplace Inclusion Network to identify and build specific actions that can be taken to improve the
ations Services team before pursuing retirement in workplace experience.
June 2024.
Mike’s impact on Fort Hills has been significant and
his experience, professionalism and authenticity will
be sorely missed.
Thank you Mike for your tremendous leadership and welcome to Fort Hills Alisdair!

Randy Hann (5) years in May Pg. 7
Aaron Halverson (5) years in May
Niko Heir (10) years in May

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Mine & Tailings Monthly Newsletter—May 2022 Mine & Tailings Monthly Newsletter—May 2022

OTPA East 360 Lift Northeast Toe Berm NETB MINE OPERATIONS TAILINGS OPERATIONS
First Cell Pour!
Mine Operation Leadership Coarse Tailings Operations
Tailings Operations commenced
the hydraulic placement of the Chris Coughlin; promoted to D- Crew 650 Dec 2021 Keith Power – Kurt Kelly –
Northeast Toe Berm (NETB) 360 Donnie Onischuk; hired to E– Crew 650 Dec 2021 Tom Prendergast – Joshua Attridge –
lift (pour commenced mid-April
through May). Completion of Doug Macintosh; moved to E- Crew Dispatch Jan 2022 Shane Lamour
the NETB 360 will allow the 384- George Feernley; promoted to D- Crew 671 Dec 2021
lift pour on the (Out-of-Pit Tail- Stephane Forest; promoted to E- Crew 671 Mar 2022 SRP
ings Area) OPTA NE dyke which
is scheduled to commence in Steve Shea – promoted to C– crew 640 May 2022 New Hires/People Changes
September 2022.
New Hire HEO’s Scott McDougall; MST/Drainage
The NETB 360 pour thickness Baylee Shoemaker Danielle Hauff Renna Pearson Planner (A Shift)
has been overbuilt as per de- Scott is a new Grad Engineer from
sign by 1m to allow for the ex- Byron Soucy Jason Topping Michael Peterson West Lincoln, Ontario. He graduat-
cess deposited tailings sand to ed with a degree in Civil Engineer-
be farmed out for future use towards various OPTA auxiliary scopes such as the TFT and FT2 ramp tie Danny Hobbs Jason Powell Gregory Hunt ing & Management from McMas-
-ins to the future 384 lift tailings corridor. ter University and has previously completed two Co-op
Brittney Christensen Paul Perry Kristal Baker terms at Fort Hills with Survey Team and the Short
Tropical Vibes north of the ‘Mac Range Planning here at Fort Hills. Fun Fact: He owned a
Jerry Dillabough Ian Lowe Keith Sarnoski pet goat as a kid, named Bambi.
(Short Range Planning)
Feeling great about our double multi bench setup (Pit Development) and looking for another Heather Oliver Brad Chiste Clayton Halley
opportunity along our south wall. We are also seeing a strong focus on our 374m OPTA closure
milestone; look to have this one in the bag soon (Placement). That said, the 375m OPTA closure Curtis Eckstadt Doug Redeker Christopher Aiers
will be a heavy lift and will need the
collaboration of the full team to Wayde Hemminger Mike Gough Edward Squires
meet this challenge including the
heavy congestion in South Valley Cory Caulder Clay Barton Stanley Keim
Placement Area.
Sebastien Toupin Paul Lagasse
GO TEAMWORK!
Tropical Sunday; Short Range Plan- Ben Bland; moved to Projects Planner
ning is joined by Geology, Reporting,
Field Services and Mine Op’s to bring within the Short Range Planning Team (A
some color and tropical vibes to site.
Bring your best Hawaiian shirt and Shift). In his new role, Ben will be sup-
join us next Sunday!
The North Advance porting projects executed by the con-
Pg. 6 Multi-Bench tractor teams on site. He is excited for
this new opportunity to add value to the
Open for Business! dynamic world of Heavy and Light Civil.
Fun Fact: Ben prefers one cream and one

North Advance Multi- sugar in his coffee.

bench has hit its target elevation and will be a large

portion of the ore delivery for Fort Hills throughout the summer. Significant collaboration between Mine

Technical & Operations was needed to design and establish a safe and productive heading for our high grade

ore shovels. Special thank you to the Mine Services &

Civil teams for the aggregate salvaging (see section “IT”S

ALL ABOUT THE SAND”) and capping of the Backstreet

Ramp. This road will provide a better running surface that

will help to keep our operators safe and equipment pro-

ductive. This scope of work will pay dividends throughout

the summer & during those rainy days. Great work by

everyone involved in working through the various chal-

lenges to make this pit successful.

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Mine & Tailings Monthly Newsletter—May 2022 Mine & Tailings Monthly Newsletter—May 2022

April 2022 saw the kickoff of the Tailings Operations alignment sessions. These alignment IT”S ALL ABOUT THE SAND

sessions were a great way for Tailings Operations to align on 2022 goals, priorities and (Heavy Civil)
Stripping the SARN Borrow ahead of the South Pit mine advance has been the focus of our Heavy
opportunities for improvement. Some of the content included icebreaker exercises, break out Civil contractors. Capturing sand for various projects around site such as Chimney Drains, Crackstop-
per, South Pillar, and other scopes, MNALP and TILP are working hard to sort sands and achieve pro-
sessions, business updates & fort hills leadership team priorities, health & safety, people &
duction targets.
business and employee appreciation to name a few. Editors Corner If you are in the area and want to see the action, there is a great viewing spot to see the bustling ac-
A special thanks to everyone involved in pulling Got something to say?
these sessions together and for all who attended, Want to be editor for the day? tivity from afar just behind the Rejects Lunch Trailer.
looking forward to keeping the conversation going! Submit your proposal to Keep up the good work.
[email protected]
CLARK’EYS CORNER
Center Pit—Clean Water
Ditching Networks Darryl Clark (GM of Mine and Tailings, you’ll learn more about him next issue!) has been spending
some time getting to know the front line workers at Fort Hills. Your feedback is important to him and
Light Civil Operations has been busy with construc- the entire leadership team. Here are some of your questions answered:
tion season ramping up and many projects currently
being worked on. There have been several complet- Can we have the Q&A at We should recognize people for good interventions, driving safety and living
ed projects recently, however the completion and the beginning of the Safety Suncor Values, how do we do this? A program has begun to recognize good
turnover of Pond 17 and Pond 18 as well as the clean behavior / safety performance. Nominate your co-workers by speaking to your
water ditching networks are a big step forward in our Meeting rather than the leader, OR ...Speak up and thank folks when they do the right thing!
preparation for Center Pit mining. With this system end? At the end people
now in place, it will allow the dewatering ditches to want to go to dinner so Why do we land at various gates in YYC and YEG?
release clean water from site and back to the envi- they don’t raise their Wherever the inbound flight lands the night before is
ronment from Center Pit and will reduce the amount hands…...We are working normally where the next flight out will be. The limited
of water sent to the OPTA. The ponds and ditching on changing the process for commercial flight schedule due to the pandemic saw
look great and Pond 17 will be visible from the new our safety meetings to in- very few flights landing and departing from YEG/YYC,
True North Road once construction is completed. clude smaller groups to gen- hence the variety of gates. As the schedule grows we
erate more discussion can expect more consistency. As with commercial
Great work by all of the contractors involved. flights, gate changes are always a possibility.

Pg. 4 Pg. 5