As part of its commitment to the highest safety and health standards, the World Steel Association (worldsteel) recognises excellence in six of its member companies areas for delivering demonstrable improvements in safety and health.
Andrew Purvis, Director, Safety, Health and Environment, said, “As our industry and the hazards we face continue to evolve, leading worldsteel members are developing new tools and techniques to proactively manage new and existing risks in the pursuit of zero harm. I wish to congratulate the recognised companies and I hope their success proves an inspiration to others to emulate them.”
The recognised practices of the member companies are assessed using a suite of consistent metrics. The metrics used vary by category, but a consistent theme is that initiatives should demonstrate the application of worldsteel’s safety and health principles and have led to a demonstrable improvement in performance and maturity. The ease of transfer of a given initiative to other steelmakers is also considered in the assessment process.
The recognised member companies are:
FOR SAFETY CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP
Qatar Steel Company (Q.S.C), Qatar – Visible Felt Leadership
Visible Felt Leadership is all about commitment and involvement of leadership in the management of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) in the plant. HSE is a focus point and a value at Qatar Steel, and no decision is considered or taken without first carrying out a risk assessment to determine the impact on the health and safety of people and plant, as well as the impact on the environment. A Safety Observation Programme was implemented during June 2018, and Qatar Steel has been monitoring the implementation of the system on a weekly basis. The improvement achieved in less than one year is significant, with compliance levels reaching above 98%. Although Qatar Steel realise that safety is not defined by the absence of incidents, the number of controls introduced and the level of commitment is substantial. Visible Felt Leadership is not about “boardroom talk”, but “plant walk”, and execution.
FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY MANAGEMENT
Gerdau S.A., Brazil – Preventing Fatalities and Serious Injuries
Between November 2016 and October 2017, Gerdau went through a difficult period with several serious incidents occurring. These incidents were considered unacceptable by the company and led to the review and analysis of safety practices looking for potential gaps. As a result, a dedicated group was set up to review the company’s safety management practices and study the Potential Severe Injuries and Fatalities (PSIF) concept. The main observation was that the causes and correlations between Severe Injuries and Fatalities (SIFs) and less serious injuries are not the same. According to the PSIF concept, injuries of differing severity have different underlying causes and reducing serious injuries requires a different strategy than reducing minor injuries. Cutting serious injuries requires consideration of all the precursor event data drawn from all available sources of data: accidents, injuries, near misses and exposures. After implementing the PSIF concept, no fatalities occurred for more than 18 months (more than 150,000,000 man-hours worked), which is a record and an outstanding result in a company with more than 43,000 employees and contractors.
Liberty Steel Australia, Australia – Hand Safety Headlight Team
Hand, wrist and finger injuries continue to be among the most prolific injuries in our industry. In the last 3 years, 85 injuries and near misses occurred in the Liberty Metalcentre business involving wrists, fingers and hands, ranging in severity from minor cuts and bruising, to significant lacerations and bone fractures requiring medical intervention. A Hand Safety Headlight Team was formed in June 2017 to understand the key causes of hand injuries in our business and to identify reduction strategies. The toolboxes prepared by the Hand Safety Headlight Team over the course of 18 months were interactive and relevant to participants. Examples of activities devised in the toolboxes include hand print painting (software that identifies the number of times employees touched products daily), and a Hand Safety Observation Tool. Before the Hand Safety Headlight Team implemented this interactive programme, there had always been regular discussions about hand safety, but the messaging didn’t seem to be getting the desired outcomes. The Hand Safety Headlight Team has had a significant effect on the reduction of hand injuries.
Jindal Steel & Power Limited (JSPL), India – Safety Index – A catalyst for enhancing safety performance
Jindal Steel & Power Limited (JSPL) has recently introduced the Safety Index concept to enhance safety performance through engagement at every level of the organisation. Proactive parameters are assessed in each department by independent cross-functional audit teams consisting of senior leadership and line managers using a predefined checklist and rating system. Proactive parameters include effective functioning of safety committees, reporting of potential incident observations, compliance to standard operating procedures, safety training, statutory compliance, work permit system, accident reporting, and so on. The implementation of the Safety Index has brought a significant improvement in the overall safety performance. For example, no major accident has occurred in the last eight months, there has been a consistent growth in proactive parameters, increased engagement of each level of the organisation in safety matters, all-time high production and despatches, recognition at national and international forums, improved workforce morale, and improved worker-manager relationships. Also, a link between the Safety Index and the organisation’s production incentive scheme has further enhanced the competitive environment in relation to safety.
FOR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT
Usinas Siderúrgicas de Minas Gerais S.A. (USIMINAS), Brazil – Usiminas Integrated Health System
The Usiminas Integrated Health System, known as SISU (Sistema Integrado de Saúde Usiminas), started in 2016 following an in-depth analysis of the company’s conventional health system. SISU is a health management model that covers four different areas: occupational health, health promotion and disease prevention, medical and dental healthcare and social welfare. A multidisciplinary health group was set up to guarantee that the system achieved the expected outcome. The objective of the group is to coordinate strategic health planning and to integrate these four areas into other company operations such as human resources, legal affairs, social communication and, above all, safety. The solutions implemented in the health process were based on scientific studies, strategic planning, and indicator analysis, and could be linked to productivity, employee satisfaction, cost reductions and other indirect benefits. Currently, the health programme is systematically present in the operational area, not only because the company wants it but also because employees and managers are requesting it.
FOR PROCESS SAFETY MANAGEMENT
Tata Steel Limited, India – Managing Process Safety Critical Equipment
Excellence in Process Safety Risk Management has been identified as one of the six safety strategies for achieving the corporate objective of ‘Zero Harm’ at Tata Steel Limited. The Process Safety Management framework is designed to probe the following three questions at all levels in the organisation: Do we know what can go wrong? Do we know what barriers we have to ensure that it doesn’t go wrong? Do we know that our barriers are effective and working properly? Different hazard identification and risk assessment tools are being used to address the first question. The other two questions are addressed by identifying and managing barriers, which can involve a set of critical tasks or a cluster of equipment known as Process Safety Critical Equipment (PSCE). Process Safety Management has brought about a cultural change in employees’ perception of risk assessment, leading to fewer incidents, reduced production losses and the increased availability of equipment.
More detailed information on each of these initiatives can be found in the Safety and Health Recognition Programme 2019 publication available on worldsteel.org, along with information on worldsteel’s other safety programmes. The recognised companies were presented with a certificate at the worldsteel General Assembly in Monterrey. Photos can be accessed on the worldsteel Flickr site.
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Notes to editors:
The World Steel Association (worldsteel) is one of the largest and most dynamic industry associations in the world. worldsteel members represent approximately 85% of the world’s steel production, including over 160 steel producers with 9 of the 10 largest steel companies, national and regional steel industry associations, and steel research institutes.