Lori Button

Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental (QHSE) Professional with extensive leadership experience improving and driving vision and influencing individuals towards a cohesive, empowered culture.  Respected for proficiency, ability to work autonomously, positive energy and being a leader who is people centric, action oriented and collaborative with all levels of stakeholders. Proven track record of successful implementation of QHSE management systems in compliance with ISO standards. Experience has been gained in biotechnology, manufacturing, engineering, environmental consulting, infrastructure, construction, IT, cannabis and e-commerce/warehousing. Committed to the promotion of a positive safety and quality culture and the establishment of effective, efficient and reliable management system.

AMAZON, Ottawa, Ontario                                                                                                                 May 2021-Present

Senior Health and Safety Leader

• Senior Health and Safety Leader at a newly constructed and launched Amazon Robotics Sort Center in Ottawa, Ontario. This role requires the ability to solve problems and make decisions in a fast-paced environment and under high stress/pressure, all while highly customer centric and results oriented. 
• Hired as part of the senior leadership team to launch this new facility, including building the HSE program, building the HSE team and ensuring the new site met all internal/external requirements, including implementation of all Amazon safety policies and all applicable external requirements.
• Build out and management of a team of 16 health, safety and wellness specialists, including nurses,  paramedics, ergonomists, safety specialists and safety managers.
• Oversight of Heath, Safety and Environment of +2000 employees in a 2.6 million square feet warehouse with the most advanced robotics available at Amazon.
• Main role is to ensurethe most positive and safe employee experience, while maintaining compliance to internal and external requirements, driving a sustained positive safety culture and systematically improving health and safety performance across the facility and Amazon network. 
• Key responsibilities include:
• Partnering with the leadership team to drive the newly established safety culture.
• Ensuring sustainable implementation of all Amazon safety policies and applicable external regulations at a brand new site with green employees.
• Advising the senior leadership team of relevant regulatory standards, trends, industry best practices and contractual requirements related to health, safety, and environmental protection 
• Identifying HSE trends, reporting on these trends and partnering with leadership to continually improve HSE performance.
• Leading all HSE programs including, but not limited to: Strategic development, leadership commitment, employee safety training, employee wellness program, incident management, return to work, contractor management, risk management, emergency response, management review and continuous improvement.
• Ensuring compliance to environmental regulations and supporting Amazon sustainable environmental solutions.
• Special projects/accomplishments to date:
  • Successful launch of Amazon Canada’s first Generation 11 Robotics Facility – with no recordable injuries (to date).
  • Led a team of 40 Amazon leaders in the completion of a comprehensive risk assessment and creation of a risk register for a separate Amazon Business Unit. Currently  working towards completion of a risk register for the Robotics Business Unit. These risk registers will be used as the baseline risk assessment across the Amazon Network.
  • Created a white paper on the risk management program mentioned above.
  • Trained to be a Facilitator for the Amazon Women in Leadership Program – a 2 day session aimed at the development of new female leaders.
  • Created a white paper on the need for a QHSE program at Amazon – currently none exists but need identified to be ISO certified.
  • Created a white paper on the need for facility-wide safety shoes – which was accepted and implemented.

INNOVAPOST (IT company), Ottawa and Toronto, Ontario                                                      October 2020 – May 2021

Health, Safety and Wellness Consultant

• Fully remote and autonomous role requiring innovation, creativity and ability to navigate ambiguous environment to develop and implement a turnkey and complete Health, Safety and Wellness program in conformance with ISO 45001 for a 1000 employee / 5 building organization.  This includes building and implementing: hazard identification and risk management, incident management, safety training, contractor management, internal audits, document control, inspections and preventive maintenance, emergency preparedness and response, Joint Health and Safety Committee improvements, internal audits, continuous improvement, management review, and other operational controls identified as part of the risk management program.   
• Priority is to ensure compliance to legislative requirements, strengthen the COVID-19 office safety plan in preparation for eventual return to office, develop a telework (remote work) program and incorporate wellness into all aspects of the Health and Safety Management System.  

HEXO Corporation (startup cannabis company), Quebec and Ontario                              April 2019 - June 2020

Quality, Health, Safety and Environment Director

• Director of Quality and Health, Safety, Environment (HSE) at a new start up cannabis company with no HSE program and minimal quality management system components in place.  This role required the ability to solve problems and make decisions in a fast-paced environment and under high stress/pressure, all while being collaborative and able to think out of the box.
• Oversight of HSE and Quality of 1200 employees at seven facilities, including several greenhouses totalling up to 2 million square feet, offices, warehouses, labs, and production facilities with manufacturing equipment ranging from conveyors to presses to pasteurization vessels.
• Build out and management of a team of fifty Quality Specialists and ten HSE Specialists.
• Main role was to ensure compliance to regulations, release high quality cannabis products and establish Quality and Health and Safety Management Systems. Several key accomplishments included:
• Build out of the Quality and Health and Safety Teams.
• Release of >$100M of cannabis during my tenure.
• Creation of core components of the Corporate HSE Management System in compliance with ISO 45001. This included: Development and Senior Leadership endorsement of the HSE Policy, Incident Management and Reporting, Injury Case Management, Return to Work, Risk Identification/Assessment/Mitigation, Document Control, New Hire Onboarding/Training and Performance Measurement/Reporting.
• Directed HSE Managers and Coordinators to ensure their facility specific HSE program complied with the Corporate Management System and provincial regulations.
• Part of the leadership team that built a new facility for cannabis production, playing a key role in achieving the sales license for that new build.
• Implemented Red Tag Program for each facility, reducing incident rates by >25%.
• Established COVID-19 operational and office protective measures early in the COVID outbreak to ensure HEXO’s essential workers and their families were protected.
• Developed a Heat Stress Response Program for greenhouse workers, reducing the number of heat stress incidents by >75%.
• Build out Injury Case Management and Return to Work Program, reducing recordable incidents by >50%.
• Streamlined safety in the warehouses, which in turn impacted ability to meet sales demands.
• Worked in collaboration with Engineering and Operations to establish equipment and process pre-start up HSE review program.
• Stakeholder on the product commercialization committee with 10 new products in the queue. Ensured the project execution conformed to HSE requirements and product consumer safety. 

SNC-LAVALIN INC., OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA                                                                           2012 - 2019

SNC-Lavalin is a global construction and engineering company with 60,000 employees and projects and offices world-wide.  Career began as HSE Manager, Ontario, Environmental Remediation in 2012 and progressed to HSE Director for Canadian Operations (some international work) based on performance and company needs. 

Quality, Health, Safety and Environment Director (Canada) | 2014 - 2019

• In this role I had virtual and in-person oversight of a cross Canada team of 10 HSE professionals and 5 quality specialists supporting up to 4000 employees to ensure engineering projects were executed with compliance to the highest level of safety and quality standards, included building, management and monitoring of the Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental management systems.  
• Virtual oversight of safety for various short term engineering projects in South America and the UAE.
• Several key accomplishments included:
• Overall lead for the Business Unit’s QHSE Program, ensuring compliance to Corporate, Business Unit, Client and Legislative requirements.
• Developed the beta Health and Safety Management System for SNC-Lavalin’s Global Operations (prior to a global team being established).
• Developed electronic QMS and HSE systems using SharePoint, including a resilient document control program.
• Trained 1000+ employees in QHSE management systems.
• Lead for the development of online Learning Management System Training Modules.
• Spearheaded a one-day safety summit for 40 leaders.
• Developed QHSE Polices endorsed at the Senior Leadership Level.
• HSE lead for several complex, multi-year construction projects for Oil and Gas Clients – See special projects below.
• HSE lead for Shell and Imperial Oil Canadian Contracts. 
• Implemented OHSAS 18001 and ISO 9001.

Special Project - Demolition and Remediation Program, Shell Burlington Lube Facility |2017 - 2019

• Served as the HSE lead for this multi-million dollar and multi-year demolition project.  Responsible for contractor screening and site safety performance. Lead incident investigator. Developed site safety plan. Audited site for compliance to safety plan and provincial regulations.

Special Project - Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) National Bundle | 04/2015 - 05/2015

• Served as the Safety Lead for the Phase I ESA. Developed the health and safety plan for the Phase I ESA performed in British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Trained >100 workers in Imperial Oil’s safety program and site safety requirements. 

Environment & Water, Health & Safety Manager (Ontario) | 2012 - 2014

• Served as Health & Safety Manager to implement internal and Client-specific health and safety. 
• Built the original HSE and Quality Management Systems during my tenure.
• Performed Incident Investigations. Tracked and trended incidents. Supported completion of HSE performance reports. Led Joint Health and Safety Committee.

Roles with progressive experience at IOGEN Corporation                                                              Prior to 2012

(Startup Biotechnology Company), Ottawa, Ontario                                                                                          

• This organization was high risk, fast-paced biotechnology manufacturing company that made specialty enzyme-based chemicals and patented a process to produce ethanol from agricultural waste.  It required a high level of collaboration, ability to think out of the box, deal with stress/pressure and problem solve.
• Highlights:
• Began career in Research and Development (Biochemist), assisting in the development of high-quality specialty chemicals.
• Transitioned to Quality Manager, with oversight of audit program and 12 internal auditors.
• Transitioned to Health, Safety, Environment and Quality Manager with oversight of up to 10 QHSE specialists.
• Key player in the creation and implementation of the HSE program in conformance to OHSAS 18001.

Key player in the creation, implementation and certification of the Quality Program to ISO 9003, ISO 9001 and FAMI-QS (feed additive standard

Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT)                                                                                                                  2020

Canadian Registered Safety Professional.                                                                                                   2018

M.Sc. Genetics, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (undefended)                                                 2018

B.Sc. (Honors) Biochemistry, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada                                                           1997

B.Sc. (Honors) Biotechnology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada                                                        1997