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EHS FIRST PERFORMANCE AND EMPLOYEE
ENGAGEMENT
In terms of employee and contractor
safety, Alcan's manufacturing operations represent a variety
of potentially high-risk exposures, including, but not
limited to, working in confined spaces, high-speed processes,
mobile equipment and overhead cranes. The nature of
the operations also requires the use or creation of
a wide range of materials and substances, many of which
are hazardous and need to be managed effectively. This
operating environment is made more complex by a wide
range of local conditions, including a variety of health
and safety regulations, as well as stakeholder interests
and expectations.
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| Lab at Hunter Medical Research
Institute where the Tomago smelter in Australia
has been financially supporting medical research
into asthma. |
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Occupational health and safety, along with the environment,
are top priorities in all business groups, as illustrated
in the company-wide implementation of EHS FIRST,
Alcan's environmental, health and safety management system.
No matter the location or nature of the work performed, EHS FIRST
applies at all sites in all Alcan business groups and
is aligned with ISO 14001 (environmental standard) and
OHSAS 18001 (occupational heath and safety standard).
By the end of 2004, all pre-Pechiney Alcan sites had achieved
the Company goal of full compliance with these standards.
Former Pechiney sites have until April 2006 and all newly
acquired sites have two years to comply. At the start
of 2005, 60% of all Alcan sites (combined Alcan and Pechiney)
were certified to ISO 14001 and 53% to OHSAS 18001.
ISO/OHSAS certification
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| sites registered in % |
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| 2004 |
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60 |
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53 |
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| 2003 |
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60 |
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44 |
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| 2002 |
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49 |
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8 |
Health and Safety
An integral component of this approach to sustainability involves
addressing issues related to health and safety. At Alcan,
protecting employees against injury and illness starts with
the employees themselves, whether it is through Behavioural
Based Safety initiatives or discussions at regular team safety
meetings. In the Packaging group, a behavioural audit
program encourages employees at all levels to analyze their
work practices and identify those that are the least
safe. Once the initial awareness phase is completed, responsibility
for these analyses and for the subsequent behaviour modification
will be shifted to the employees themselves, without any need
for further management intervention.
Line management involvement is a key company-wide driver
of EHS FIRST implementation and acceptance at
the plant level. In 2004, over 90 managers' training sessions
were held, reaching some 2,000 participants who will
continue training others and advocating EHS awareness down
the line.
Innovative approaches to EHS FIRST awareness
at the plant level include "Health
Days" at Bauxite and Alumina's alumina plant in Vaudreuil,
Quebec, or President's
Safety Days in our Engineered Products group. During "Health
Days", which are timed to coincide with periodic medical
examinations, employees are given the opportunity to refresh
their knowledge about protective equipment and are provided
with information on the various programs dealing with personal
health issues.
The Bonsaï Awards are an initiative of Packaging to
encourage, promote, and reward best internal practices in
areas related to EHS. Projects selected come from all over
the world. They are all quite different and the variety reflects
Packaging's desire to act at all levels. The bonsaï tree
was chosen to symbolize the award, as this special tree grows
and develops in a continuous fashion as long as it is attended
to in a constant and meticulous manner. This corresponds entirely
to the underlying theme of Alcan's EHS FIRST management
system.
Alcan insists on instilling a safety mindset and strives
to implement best practices to ensure health and safety. For
example, Packaging has identified lacerations as the area
where the greatest improvements could be made to reduce historically
high recordable/lost time rates in its Glass Tubing business
unit. As a result of a Laceration Assessment Project
launched in 2004, recordable lacerations were reduced
by over 40% in the Glass Tubing group in addition to a reduction
in first aid cases.
Recordable case rate
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| rate per 200,000 hours worked |
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| 2004 |
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2.58 |
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| 2003 |
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3.27 |
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| 2002 |
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3.96 |
Lost time injury/illness rate
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| rate per 200,000 hours worked |
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| 2004 |
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0.75 |
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| 2003 |
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1.03 |
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| 2002 |
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1.33 |
Days lost rate*
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| rate per 200,000 hours worked |
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| 2004 |
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50.42 |
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| 2003 |
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55.87 |
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| 2002 |
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48.78 |
In 2004, the first full year of EHS FIRST implementation,
company-wide results showed a 33% improvement in the lost
time injury/illness rate and a 37% improvement in the recordable
case rate.
Reminders of the occupational risks present in a heavy manufacturing
environment, however, are tragically illustrated in the four
fatalities that occurred among employees and contractors at
Alcan operations in 2004, three of which involved mobile
equipment.
Although Alcan has made significant progress in identifying
at-risk situations and implementing corrective measures, these
fatalities signal the need to diligently continue to identify
root causes and quickly eliminate them. Operating mobile equipment
carries certain risks. Alcan has rigorously assessed these
through the completion of a fact-based analysis of mobile
equipment risks in order to prevent further fatalities. As
a top priority in 2005, the Company is implementing the
recommendations that came from the analysis along with the
creation of a senior resource position to further enhance
EHS FIRST's capacity and capability to prevent
fatalities.
Number of fatalities
Number of fatalities rate
per million hours worked
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| 2004 |
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0.021 |
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| 2003 |
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0.021 |
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| 2002 |
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0.020 |
| Despite the improvement in general safety indicators,
serious injuries and fatalities remain a concern. A 2004 initiative has
targeted mobile equipment. An action plan is being actively implemented
across Alcan to upgrade plants and people behaviour requirements to a common
enhanced standard. In 2005, key resources are applied both at the business
group level and at the corporate level to prioritize EHS FIRST
activities (Document Management, Strategic Planning, Audits, Communication
and Training) and to focus on serious injury and fatality prevention. |
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