WEIRBULLETIN | FEBRUARY 2012 MINERALS OIL & GAS POWER & INDUSTRIAL ow: Weir EHS System
of risk there are sub-sections on lifting operations, machinery and plant safety. There are 68 sub- sections in total. The second part of the system is a measuring tool to assess compliance against each of the standards. A Weir minimum standard score (ratings range from 0-4) is achieved when a score of 2 is fulfilled. The output from, and appearance of this tool is very similar to other Weir processes such as the Weir Production System and Weir Commercial System.
Q. How was the system developed? A. The development of the system began about 14 months ago with the objective of providing a primary lead indicator of EHS performance. Before the implementation of the EHS system we relied on a sole lagging indicator to measure our health and safety performance. The system was developed by a working group set up across each Weir region and division, with key input from EHS staff and operations senior management. This culminated in a set of draft standards and measuring tools which was trialled across Oil & Gas, Minerals and Power & Industrial to ensure a workable, valued-added business process was developed.
Q. Why are we implementing a new system? A. Generally health and safety performance
indicators are either lagging or leading. The lagging metric tells what we already know: somebody is injured and we have a reactive measure with poor predictability on future likelihood of a serious incident. A leading indicator gives us a more proactive measure of a company’s EHS performance. It acts as a much more informative tool regarding future EHS performance and the likelihood of a serious incident taking place. The best combination of EHS KPIs (key performance indicators) are those that have lagging and leading indicators, and the Weir EHS system provides a primary leading indicator of performance. The ability of the system to identify best practice is also one of its inherent strengths, driving collaboration to achieve best practice across the Group.
Q. If we meet the Weir standards will we have completed the journey? A. Our CEO’s EHS policy commitment for The Weir Group has continual improvement at its very core. A fundamental part of this is that the Weir Core EHS Standards are dynamic and subject to update and revision as our expectations increase and performance improves. EHS improvement is an ongoing journey: what is the Weir minimum standard in 2012 may not meet the Weir minimum requirements in 2014.
Q. Do ISO18001 and 14001 fit in with this system? A. These are internationally recognised standards and as a FTSE 100 company, it is taken for granted that we will have these as part of our responsible approach to managing risk. The policy commitment is to continue with these. The Weir Standards far exceed those set by the 18001 and 14001 series.
Q. The stepped nature of the scoring seems pretty tough. Why? A. The system was deliberately set up this way so that a ‘3’ rating, for example, cannot be attained until all of the requirements of 0, 1, 2 and 3 are met in full. If any element is missing at any level, the score defaults down to the previous fully-met level. If a Weir minimum standard level is attained, then an absolute level of risk control is in place to protect an employee or associate, as well as the environment. The Weir EHS System forms one of the
cornerstones of EHS improvement within The Weir Group. Regular monthly reviews will take place via the EHS divisional forums and the assessment process will be repeated annually to continually drive improvement and mitigation of risk across all Weir operations.
Mill rescue drills
Ensuring that people understand their roles and responsibilities is of critical importance in an emergency situation. That’s why Weir Minerals Africa is proactively conducting drills to ensure a well rehearsed response from employees to minimise risk and injury in genuine emergency situations. One risk area is the rubber mill, with each mill now fully equipped with a mill rescue box. Mill rescue boxes are equipped with tools that will allow for quick extraction of a person should they be pulled into the mill’s rollers, and are placed within close proximity to the mill facilities. A mill rescue drill was conducted in October 2011 where shortfalls were identified and learning formulated into action plans. The mill rescue procedure was developed as a consequence and all mill rescue members have been trained accordingly.
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