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We recognize that the health and safety of our employees, subcontractors, third parties and visitors is vital to our business success. Our “Passion for Safety” initiative aims for continuous improvement and our lost-time injury frequency rate has shown significant improvement in 2008. In 2008, efforts to reduce the number of severe accidents within the Group paid off. Nevertheless, Holcim had to mourn the loss of 27 individuals. We regret this deeply. As even one severe incident is one incident too many, efforts for safety at the workplace will continue unabated.
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Providing a safe workplace
To achieve our vision of “zero harm” to people, the best possible technical conditions in the plants and nurturing a culture of safety throughout the Group are pursued. All Group companies are required systematically to implement a series of fatality prevention directives by the end of 2010. The directives were developed after an in-depth analysis of the major causes of fatalities and encompass hazard identification, risk assessment and controls, training, and maintenance and emergency procedures.
The Holcim OH&S management system further guides our approach. Clear organizational accountabilities are supported by a robust program of training, communication, strict procedural discipline and locally developed policies and action plans. Five Cardinal Rules have been laid down, as below. There is zero tolerance for breaches and very stringent consequence management.
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Five Cardinal Rules
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Do not override or interfere with any safety provision and do not let others override or interfere with safety provisions |
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Personal protective equipment rules applicable to a given task must be adhered to at all times |
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Isolations and lock-out procedures must always be followed |
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No person may work if under the influence of alcohol or drugs |
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All injuries and incidents must be reported |
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Special attention is given to embed our safety culture with contractors and third parties working on-site at our locations. All contractors are required to comply with Holcim safety standards, including the Five Cardinal Rules.
The pre-processing of AFR (Alternative Fuels and Raw Materials) requires safety standards and procedures comparable to those used in the petrochemical industry. Managing AFR process safety is therefore an important consideration. A Holcim directive sets the required standards and complements existing safety procedures on hazard identification and mitigation, and emergency response.
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Health programs
Holcim is committed to implementing more comprehensive health management programs for employees. 88% of Group companies have a program to assist workers, their families or community members affected by serious diseases. Furthermore, 98% of Group companies reported that they had formal joint health and safety committees, including management and employee representatives, and that these committees represent 81% of the workforce.
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Fatalities - cement, aggregates and ready-mix concrete*
* Numbers of fatalities are reported following the WBCSD reporting standards.
Fatalities decreased in all categories in 2008. Nevertheless, we will redouble our efforts to achieving our vision of “zero harm” to people.
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Lost-time injury frequency rate*
*The lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) is calculated as:
Number of lost time injuries x 1,000,000 : total number of hours worked. Data includes all cement, aggregates as well as ready mix concrete operations.
The rate for direct employees improved by 31% and the rate for subcontractors by 26%. The average absentee rate reported by Group companies for 2008 was 2.4% (2007: 1.9%, 2006: 3.3%)
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Challenge
The number of accidents and fatalities remains a concern. We will redouble our efforts to ensure “zero harm” in the workplace.
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Target
All Group companies are required systematically to implement a series of fatality prevention directives by the end of 2010.
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