Workforce safety performance
Imperial repeated its best-ever safety results for employees in 2010.
Performance at a glance
0 |
|---|
employee lost-time incidents. There were no employee lost-time incidents, the second consecutive year for this best-ever performance. |
3 |
contractor lost-time incidents. This is an increase from one contractor lost-time safety incident in 2009. |
0 |
| fatalities. |
Lost-time incidents are injuries or illnesses sustained while at work that result in at least one lost workday after the day of the incident.
The three contractor incidents in 2010 were made up of one contractor injury in each of the upstream, downstream and corporate businesses.
Our approach
The safety tools and programs that we deploy have been chosen as a result of our experience in the field. We know that the possibility of an incident decreases as workers are more aware of potential hazards prior to conducting work, and how closely they follow safe work procedures. As a result, we continue to expand the deployment of behaviour-based safety tools and processes, and promote a ‛culture of intervention.’
We are also working closely with contractors to improve their safety. A highly mobile workforce results in a large number of short-service workers. Less experience and a greater tolerance for risk are key factors associated with a higher risk of contractor injury. We are focusing on sound pre-job planning, setting guidance for short-service workers and tools that reduce "at risk" behaviour.
Over the last five years we have increasingly shared learnings and expanded the rollout of successful safety tools across the Upstream and Downstream. Focus areas have included contractor selection, pre-job planning, supervisor selection and worker training.
What we are doing
Behaviour-based systems
We use behaviour-based systems to proactively reduce “at risk” behaviour that can result in safety incidents. A leading example that was introduced in the Downstream in 2005 is the Loss Prevention System™ (LPS), which engages workers in hazard identification and peer-to-peer observation and coaching. The Upstream introduced LPS in 2007, and in 2010, use of LPS was further extended throughout the Downstream and Chemical businesses.
Contractor safety
We believe continued improvement in contractor safety performance starts with strengthening our relationship and interaction with contractors. By working closely together, we are able to achieve greater execution of programs, including LPS, enhanced short-service work programs (where inexperienced workers are mentored by those more experienced) and pre-job risk identification, in addition to outlining our expectations for safety performance, standards and accountability.
In 2010, we continued to enhance the Buddy Manager Program that engages our senior level managers with senior level managers from contract companies that we employ. The program emphasizes the safety issues faced by the field level workforce in order to ensure that the companies we use have the same degree of commitment to safety that we do.
One initiative in 2010 included working with contractors to upgrade key planning tools such as work permits and job safety analyses to ensure consistency with Imperial policies. Imperial also continued to increase communication with contractors, implementing regularly scheduled meetings with company site managers to proactively discuss emerging issues.
Safety leadership training
Imperial works diligently to ensure safety roles and responsibilities are effectively executed. This calls for persistent emphasis on leadership training. Since 2004, we have conducted the Fundamentals of Safety program, which has trained more than 2,000 employees and contractors in different aspects of workplace safety. This four-day program is designed to increase leader capabilities and involvement in safety.
We continued to look for new opportunities to emphasize the importance of safety leadership among contractors. In 2010, the Safety Leadership Development program continued into its third year in the Upstream business. This program looks at how supervisors and workers interact at the field level and brings them together to discuss safety scenarios and trains them in the use of safe-work planning tools such as job safety assessments. Skills taught in the classroom are then reinforced on site with individual coaching. More than 200 contractor supervisors and managers participated in leadership workshops through 2010.
Office safety
There were four total recordable safety injuries for office-based employees in 2010. Improving safety for our office workers remains a key priority for the company. In 2009, we began a one-day training program called the Fundamentals of Safety for Office Leaders to help leaders guide their workforce to improved safety. Over 30 manager and supervisors have participated in the program to date. In addition, an office safety leadership team, co-chaired by the company’s senior vice-president, finance and administration, and the senior safety, health and environment manager, expanded work to support the deployment of programs to improve office safety.
The company also continues to focus efforts on reducing the number and severity of muscloskeletal disorders, or MSD. By raising awareness among employees and supervisors and identifying concerns early, we are working to minimize the effects of the injuries when they occur and ultimately towards prevention of MSD.
Up close:
Safety at Dartmouth and Strathcona refineries
In 2010, employees and contractors of Dartmouth refinery received high safety honours. The ExxonMobil President’s Safety Award was given to the refinery for surpassing 10 million consecutive work hours without a lost-time incident. Dartmouth has not had a lost-time incident in more than a decade.
Imperial’s Strathcona refinery was recognized by Alberta Employment and Immigration for best-in-class safety performance, and the Alberta Petro-Chemical Safety Council honoured the facility for achieving best-in-class contractor safety performance.
Office safety
There were four total recordable safety injuries for office-based employees in 2010. Improving safety for our office workers remains a key priority for the company. In 2009, we began a one-day training program called the Fundamentals of Safety for Office Leaders to help leaders guide their workforce to improved safety. Over 30 manager and supervisors have participated in the program to date. In addition, an office safety leadership team, co-chaired by the company’s senior vice-president, finance and administration, and the senior safety, health and environment manager, expanded work to support the deployment of programs to improve office safety.
The company also continues to focus efforts on reducing the number and severity of muscloskeletal disorders, or MSD. By raising awareness among employees and supervisors and identifying concerns early, we are working to minimize the effects of the injuries when they occur and ultimately towards prevention of MSD.