Record number of hours without a reportable accident is good business for a company that provides Safety, Health and Environmental consultancy services
Cheshire, UK, February 21, 2003 -- ABB, the leading power and automation technology group’s Process Solutions business, within the Automation Technologies Division, has recently achieved nine million working hours without a reportable injury or illness to its employees. The business is a provider of engineering services, technology and consultancy to the industries.
A reportable injury or illness is defined under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995) as one that by law has to be reported by an employer to the HSE (the UK Health & Safety Executive). The business has an ongoing track record for reportable injuries (0.0) that far outperforms UK averages for the Service Industries (0.26), Manufacturing Industries (0.62) and Construction Industries (0.64) (RIDDOR reportable injuries per 100,000 man hours) and benchmarks very well with a world-class safety performance.
Peter Flinn, head of ABB Eutech Process Solutions, says: "Good Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) management is good business. We have a long history of working with our customers on their HSE programs, and achieving nine million hours of safety, without a reportable accident, is a huge milestone in our business performance. In addition to improving safety for our employees, it enhances the image we present to our clients, shareholders, financiers, staff, local communities and others."
The business boasts having received a 2002 Platinum Health, Safety and Environmental Award from one of its major customers, Huntsman Petrochemicals. This is in recognition of an injury free year for ABB employees working on their manufacturing sites and for achieving full compliance with the improvement plan and customer audits.
Adding to their collection of accolades their Construction Team was chosen to receive the top national award for 2002 from the Health and Safety Executive in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the European Week for Safety and Health in 2001.
Another major achievement for the Process Solutions Business was to receive a Highly Commended award in the 2002 Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Occupational Health and Safety Construction Sector Awards. This is a highly competitive award demonstrating that the business is amongst the best in its class.
ABB Eutech Process Solutions promotes a safety culture throughout its organization. All employees receive a safety induction when they start working for the company, which raises their awareness of safety, health and environmental issues both in ABB offices and on its customers’ sites.
"A comprehensive health and safety management system ensures that the business operates in accordance with current legislation and company policy. This includes the reporting of all incidents, and sharing the learning from these throughout the organization," says Flinn. The company also regularly carries out audits to check compliance with legislation and policy, for example auditing employees to assess safety awareness and auditing the work environment, both in the office and on construction sites.
Catriona Franks, ABB’s safety advisor, explains, "our employees work in offices and manufacturing and construction environments which exposes them to a wide range of workplace risks. Our comprehensive health and safety management system ensures we operate in accordance with current legislation as well as company policy and that we assess and control those risks effectively. This includes the reporting of all incidents, especially near misses. This is so that the learning from these can be shared throughout the organization and incorporated into our risk assessments. The safety of our employees is a priority, and we continue to strive towards a ‘zero accident’ culture. To this end, we record and investigate all employee injuries and illnesses, and encourage open and honest reporting."
About ABB Eutech Process Solutions ABB Eutech Process Solution http://www.abb.com/service, part of the Automation Technologies division in ABB, is a leading provider of engineering services, technology and consultancy to the process industries, in particular chemicals, pharmaceuticals and consumer. Its knowledge of global best practice in each of a wide range of business processes, operations and engineering, has helped over 300 clients worldwide ensure that their core businesses perform at peak efficiency.
About ABB ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 145,000.
Figures given are approximate 2000/2001 Reportable Injury Frequency Rates = Injuries per 100,000 man hours (UK Health and Safety Executive Statistics 2000/2001).