On June 23, Master Lock’s Kina Repp visited the workplace site that forever changed her life 25 years ago. As the guest of Trident Seafoods CEO Joe Bundrant, she spoke and addressed workplace safety at two of Trident’s fish processing facilities in Naknek, Alaska and other local facilities as part of a new lockout and safety training video she has in production and which Trident is sponsoring.
Kina’s visit was exactly 25 years to the day when a horrific work accident nearly claimed her life. On June 23, 1990, she and her friend, Lisa Putnam, were new on the job at a Bristol Bay processing plant that is no longer in operation. Between their sophomore and junior years in college, they had traveled to Alaska for summer jobs in hopes of earning enough to pay their tuition. With no training, Kina was tasked with the responsibility of cleaning conveyor belts. The sudden accident resulted in her losing her left arm.
Kina is a workplace safety advocate who now represents Master Lock and delivers powerful messages and advice through personal appearances and videos to companies and their employees about the importance of workplace safety. Earlier this month, she passionately delivered presentations in the Master Lock Safety Solutions™ booth at the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Safety 2015 Expo in Dallas.
“Speaking before groups of employees about workplace safety is part of the healing process for me. I find it to be beneficial, emotional, and it helps bring closure,” reflected Kina. “At fish processing plants, work conditions are very challenging. When Lisa and I worked there 25 years ago, the floors were often wet and slippery around high powered and dangerous equipment. We were hired and did our jobs. No safety training was offered at the time. The OSHA Standard 1910.147 for Lockout/Tagout had been issued less than a year before.
“The conditions today have vastly improved. New employees receive machine guarding and lockout training and understand the risks and dangers before they begin work on the floor. When I speak before groups, I remind them how important it is to have a proper lockout program and proper training. Every day I look forward to figuring out how I can help transform safety in the workplace so others don’t experience what I did 25 years ago.”
Kina’s friend Lisa Putnam, accompanied her on this visit. For more information about her mission, visit www.kinarepp.com.
About Master Lock Company
The Master Lock Company is recognized around the world as the authentic, enduring name in padlocks and security products. Master Lock Company offers a broad range of innovative security and safety solutions for consumer, commercial, and industrial end-users. Master Lock Company LLC is an operating unit of Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc., a leading consumer brands company. Headquartered in Deerfield, Ill., Fortune Brands Home & Security Inc. (NYSE: FBHS), is included in the S&P MidCap 400 Index. For more information about Master Lock visit www.masterlock.com.
