Yes, we want to help our customers make their business a success. And yes, we want to provide competitive returns for our shareholders. But our number one priority is the health and safety of our people.
We do everything we can to prevent our people getting sick or injured at work. This includes recording key parameters, such as Lost Time Injuries Frequency Rate and Total Illness Absence Rate, and setting targets for their improvement.
We also try to positively influence behavior and attitudes to health and safety by studying the reasons for accidents and high rates of absence.
Auditing our sites
Our qualified teams of Health & Safety Executive (HSE) auditors visit and audit around 60 production sites every year – and each site is visited once every five years. The auditors check whether HSE guidelines and company best practices are being applied. Problem areas are identified and we agree action plans to tackle them.
Follow-up reports ensure that our sites implement the actions and operate within safe boundaries. Since auditing began, all coatings and chemicals businesses have shown a gradual improvement in their audit scores.
HSE projects and programs
We also carry out a number of programs to help us improve sustainability issues that are vital to our future success. We measure progress by key performance indicators, with targets set and monitored. Important sustainability issues include:
Operational management systems
These are integrated on quality, HSE and security. They are risk-based and follow the Responsible Care® and Coatings Care® principles. Management systems have been set up in line with international standards as ISO-9000, ISO-14001, RC-14001 and OHSAS-18001.
External insurance audits
Our HSE audits use information from external insurance audits conducted on our sites. We follow this up by carrying out annual reviews of all sites seen to have a high inherent hazard.
Taking further action
HSE performance reviews, audit scores and findings are followed up by management to ensure that improvements are being made. Additional actions are defined if necessary.
Find out more about our Health & Safety policies.