Based on the belief that all accidents are preventable, our long-term goal is to eliminate all serious workplace injuries across the company. Put simply, our goal is to ensure zero harm.

Our TRIFR (Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate) gives an indication of the progress we are making. Our group TRIFR rate has been reduced from over 60 in 2006, to less than 9 in 2012 – a reduction of 85 percent.

While we have seen a significant reduction in our TRIFR rate over the past six years, we are now increasing our focus on lead indicators to ensure future improvement. Lead indicators include measures and initiatives that identify risks and hazards before they result in incident or injury. Documenting safety outcomes like TRIFR remain a crucial element, although putting in place measures to prevent risks and incidents is our first priority.

• Near miss reporting – each division is required to report, investigate and have peer-reviewed a set number of serious near-miss incidents, with the intention being the identification of potential hazards before they cause injury.

• Scheduled safety observations – our executive staff, including our CEO, are required to each complete 12 site-safety observations each year. These, along with the compulsory observations by our safety leaders, will lead to the identification and close-out of hazards. 

• Close-out of external audit findings – following external process-safety audits of our most high-risk facilities, which commenced in 2012, we have established review committees to consider the findings and to act on them as appropriate. 

• Close-out of action items from peer reviewed Incident Cause Analysis Method (ICAM) investigation reports – This ensures the causes of incidents are acted upon and mitigated.

‘Human Factors’ training and understanding behavioural attitudes have become significant parts of our health and safety approach. Human Factors is about understanding the ways employees make decisions, and the impact this can have on safety. It recognises that people make mistakes, and that by understanding the ‘human factors’ involved in these mistakes – including workload, work patterns, skills and attitudes – they can be prevented in the future.