As an industry association, worldsteel has a strong focus on sustainability. Supporting our members in enhancing the safety, health and well-being of all workers within our industry is a critical element of our sustainability programme.
Within our industry, safety isn’t just a priority, or a set of rules, but an integral component of doing business, and a reflection of the complex interactions between people, systems and technology. It starts with each one of our people, and with this in mind, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the significance of worldsteel Day for Safety and Health.
worldsteel Day for Safety and Health serves as a poignant reminder of our collective commitment to safeguarding the well-being of our workforce. It’s a day dedicated to raising awareness, sharing best practices, and reaffirming our dedication to excellence in safety and health across the global steel industry. This annual observance underscores the role safety plays in our industry and emphasises the need for continuous improvement.
Our focus at worldsteel is to provide our members and the industry with actionable recommendations and guidance to create safer and healthier workplaces.
Together we have driven improvement and positively impacted injury reduction and wellness within our industry. Regardless of this improvement, tragically serious injuries and fatal events do still occur. However, by listening to our employees, learning from success and failure, implementing proactive measures and leveraging available resources, our industry can shift our performance to the next level.
I’m pleased to highlight the valuable resources that worldsteel offers to support our safety and health objectives.
We have four key focus areas in safety and health: safety culture and leadership, process safety management, occupation safety management, and occupational health management. This year we release our publication on the latter. Occupational health fundamentals, which covers physical and mental health, sets out six occupational health fundamentals that when appropriately managed will help to safeguard the well-being of all individuals working on a site in the steel producing value chain. Next year the planned release of our publication on occupation safety management will complete this series.
We were very proud to publish last year for the first time a public report on the state of the global steel industry’s safety and health performance. Now an annual release, our data report argues that openness and transparency are key to improving our performance and details a comprehensive overview of a range of health and safety performance indicators, from fatality analysis to sickness absence.
In recent years, we have also collaborated with leaders in the safety equipment industry to host a series of webinars addressing critical safety topics. These sessions covered working at heights with 3M and gassing and asphyxiation with Dräger. This year we will be running a webinar series on contractor safety in partnership with ISN, aimed at enhancing safety standards across our entire supply chain.
These initiatives underscore our commitment to fostering a safety-conscious culture and equipping our leadership and workforce with the knowledge and tools necessary to mitigate risks effectively. By sharing insights, collaborating with industry experts, and leveraging innovative solutions, we can continue to drive positive change and safeguard the well-being of everyone who works in our industry.
It is only recently since I joined worldsteel as Safety and Health Manager and as I embark on this journey with worldsteel, I’m filled with optimism and determination. With your continued support and dedication, I’m confident that we can create a safer and healthier workplace for all.
To all of our members, on this day I say, let’s keep working together to make safety and health our focus and ensure a healthier, safer workplace for all.