Health and Safety management
Key events
GRI 403-1
Approach
EVRAZ endeavours to create a safe and favourable working environment. Occupational health and safety (OHS) forms a core part of EVRAZ’s sustainability activities and long-term success, and focuses on preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. Our approach incorporates a number of elements, including compliance with OHS legislation, monitoring key risk factors, and promoting safe behaviour among employees and contractors. We are constantly introducing improvements to the health and safety management system.
In 2019, we evaluated the OHS management system and identified two major drivers for improvement – developing the safety culture and implementing a risk-orientated approach. Based on ISO 45001 provisions and best practices, six core occupational health and safety management elements were identified, including:
- Goal setting
- Training
- Leadership
- Risk management
- Monitoring the management system
- Improvements across all areas
GRI 403-7
Within this framework, in 2019, EVRAZ initiated the Risk Management project. The goal is to improve overall safety through enhancing the safety culture and changing attitudes towards risks. This can be achieved through involving workers in health and safety management and implementing a risk-orientated approach in everyday operations. In line with this new and proactive approach, we have established a number of risk management teams, whose objective is to support the implementation of new OHS risk management tools across the Group.
GRI 403-2, 403-7
As part of implementing the Risk Management project, in 2019, EVRAZ elaborated a new risk assessment matrix. In 2020, we plan to describe the key risks facing all EVRAZ enterprises by applying the new matrix. As a result, each facility will have its own list of hazards that potentially could lead to fatalities. Critical risks will be identified and described using risk passports, which primarily set out the effects of these risks to safety.
GRI 403-8
EVRAZ holds a certificate of compliance with international occupational health and safety standards: the Group’s facilities are certified under OHSAS18001:2007 and EVRAZ enterprises will also be certified under ISO 45001. In 2019, all necessary preparation procedures under ISO 45001 were completed by EVRAZ ZSMK and EVRAZ NTMK. These enterprises are planned to be certified in 2020. The rest of the Group will be certified under ISO 45001 before the OHSAS18001:2007 certificate expires.
In everyday operations the Group applies a simple and strict set of safety rules — the Cardinal Safety Rules of EVRAZ. These are mandatory for all individuals working at or visiting the Group’s operations.
The idea of the project is that health and safety risks should be regularly identified, evaluated, and minimised, and all employees should be engaged in this process.
The Risk Management project uses various tools and technologies, and provides in-class and walkthrough training exercises for top and middle management, as well as other tools such as risk hunting and a dynamic risk assessment checklist.
Risk hunting applies a very simple methodology and trains employees to identify potential dangers.
During exercises a facility is divided into sectors, and in each of these the hunt participants are required to identify and record all potential risks. An effective technique is to continually question the safety of the environment by asking the question “What could go wrong?”
GRI 403-7
All risks identified during exercises are recorded and further analysed and ranked. Based on the risk prioritisation, managers elaborate mitigation plans and actions for safety improvements.
Value for stakeholders: a safer working environment, risk identification know-how, being engaged in the risk management process.
Value for EVRAZ: an improved safety culture, mitigation measures developed and implemented based on risk prioritisation, ongoing risk assessment, involving all employees in developing a safer working environment.
