Our commitment
Six safety and health principles for the steel industry
Four areas of focus
Companies need to apply the six principles to the following four focus areas to ensure comprehensive safety and health management.
Safety culture and leadership
The safety culture of an organisation is the product of individual and group values, attitudes, competencies, and patterns of behaviour that determine how people and systems act and respond in relation to risks and opportunities. Safety culture and leadership evolve gradually over time as people go through various changes, adapt to environmental conditions and solve problems. To create a truly robust safety culture, organisations need to proactively position safety as an integrated value for all workers. To attain this level of safety culture, significant commitment and a drive towards continuous improvement are required.Process safety management
Process safety is a blend of engineering, operations and management skills focused on preventing catastrophic accidents, particularly structural collapse, explosions, fires and toxic releases associated with loss of containment of energy or dangerous substances such as toxic gases, molten metal, chemicals and petroleum products. The manufacturing of steel involves processes with intrinsic hazards that need careful management. The measures needed to control these hazards are often complex. The focus of process safety management is not limited to protecting the people within the company but also includes the environment, assets and surrounding community.Occupational safety management
Occupational safety management promotes the safety of employees, contractors and visitors by preventing personal injuries in the workplace, and has a strong focus on primary prevention of exposure to hazards.Occupational health management
In its widest definition, occupational health management encompasses the physical, mental and social well-being of the people working in the company. The focus is placed on long-term effects of exposure to hazards. The health of workers has several determinants, including risk factors at the workplace leading to cancers, musculoskeletal diseases, respiratory diseases, hearing loss, circulatory diseases, stress-related disorders and others.Six safety and and health principles
Principle 01
All injuries and work-related illness can and must be prevented.
- Risk Management is an essential component to identify hazards, assess risk and determine appropriate controls (applying the hierarchy of controls).
- Integrated safety and health management systems are there to keep everybody safe and healthy: our people, our contractors, suppliers, customers, and the community. Systems bring order, standardisation and operational discipline to safety.
- Ensuring the reliability of every piece of machinery and process is an important component of the strategy used to help companies avoid adverse events and incidents that impact people, environment, communities and business continuity.
- Human and organisational performance are the cornerstone for safety and health excellence.
- Accident investigation should strive to find systemic root causes.
Principle 02
Managers are responsible and accountable for safety and health performance.
Principle 03
Employee engagement and training is essential.
Principle 04
Working safely is a condition of employment.
Principle 05
Excellence in safety and health drives excellent business results.
- Harm to people
- The environment
- The company assets
- The company reputation
- The company business objectives
Principle 06
Safety and health is integrated into all business management processes.
Definitions and calculations
Employees and contractors
Company employee (employee)
A person who is on the payroll of the member company, e.g. has an employee number that identifies that person as a company employee. Employees are directly supervised by a company representative. Temporary or agency workers hired directly by the company are to be considered as employees if the company has primary responsibility for supervising their activities.
Contract employee (contractor)
An individual supplied by an external company (contractor, sub-contractor, consultant, or vendor) on a full or part- time basis and who is providing a service (production, maintenance, or administrative support) to the member. The contractor’s safety, health and well-being are primarily supervised by the external contractor’s supervisor or manager. He is paid by the external company directly. The external company presents an invoice for the contract for service to the member company.
Visitor
Anyone on the company premises other than a company employee or contractor. Injuries to a visitor will be included as a company employee since the company has the duty of care and direct safety supervision. If hours visited can be added to the calculation for frequency purposes, then please include them.
Types of incidents
Fatality (F)
Death from a work-related injury, certified by a medical professional. Fatality Frequency Rate (FFR) is calculated on the number of fatalities per million man hours.
Lost Time Injury (LTI)
Any work-related injury resulting in the employee or contractor not being able to return to work for their next scheduled work period. Returning to work with work restrictions does not constitute a lost time injury status, no matter how minimal or severe the restrictions, provided it is at the employee’s next scheduled shift. However, if an injury deteriorates and time is later lost, an LTI should be recorded. Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) is calculated as number of Lost Time Injuries per million man hours.
Restricted Work Case (RWC)
Any work-related injury other than a fatality or a Lost Time Injury where the injured person cannot fulfil his normal work the day following the injury but is able to undertake a temporary job, work at his normal job but not full-time, or work at a permanently assigned job but unable to perform all duties normally assigned to it. If the injury has led to lower productivity or slower work from the worker, but the worker is still capable of undertaking all of their routine tasks, then this would not be classified as restricted work.
Medical Treatment Injury (MTI)
Any work-related injury other than a fatality, a Lost Time Injury, or a restricted work case, that resulted in a certain level of treatment (not first aid treatment) given by a physician or other medical personnel under standing orders of a physician (e.g. medical treatments: using prescription medications, or use of a non-prescription drug at prescription strength, Using wound closing devices such as surgical glue, sutures, and staples, Using any devices with rigid stays or other systems designed to immobilise parts of the body, Administration of oxygen to treat injury or illness).
Minor Injury (MI)
Any work-related injury other than a fatality, a Lost Time Injury, a restricted work case, or a Medical Treatment Injury which is treated by first aid or minor manipulation to provide relief for a strain or bruise. A minor injury does not require treatment by a professionally trained paramedic or physician and does not incur loss of work time other than time of the shift on which it occurred. The injured person continues with his normal scheduled work ( e.g. using a non-prescription medication at non-prescription strength, administering tetanus immunisations, cleaning, flushing or soaking wounds on the surface of the skin, using wound coverings such as bandages, Band-Aids™, gauze pads, etc.; or using butterfly bandages or Steri-Strips™, using hot or cold therapy, drilling of a fingernail or toenail, using eye patches).
Near miss incident
An incident that physically occurred but there was no personal injury to the employee, contractor or visitor but which could have resulted in a serious injury and needs to be followed up in the same way as a Lost Time Injury but recorded as a near miss.
- Any action that may endanger a person or people working around him/her.
- Or any situation judged as being such that, sooner or later, it may lead to a risk of an incident inflicting harm to one or more persons.
Potential Serious Injury or Fatality (PSIF)
Any incident regardless of actual severity that has the potential to lead to a life-threatening, life-altering, or fatal injury.
Occupational pyramid including PSIF concept:
Causes of incidents
Fall from height
Depending on the country, companies may define a height level where a fall prevention or restraint must be worn and used. The level is usually anywhere there is a risk of falling off 1.8 meters or 6 ft, but proper preventive fall practices should also be used as the fall from a lower distance can lead to serious injuries.
Falling object
Object falling on a person for any reason, also objects that can be released sideways or upwards are considered.
Moving machinery
Incident caused by any component of machinery or equipment that is able to move by any energy source (electrical, steam, hydraulic, pneumatic, heat, wind, product such as strip being pulled by other equipment), by remote control or by gravity.
Overhead crane
Any incident whose main cause is the operation or condition of an overhead crane or its product holding component such as C hook or coil grab, chains or slings.
Forklift
Any incident resulting from the use of or contact with a forklift truck, a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials. Incidents with forklifts can occur due to the load handled, the environment in which the forklift is moving, the state of the vehicle or the skills of the driver.
Rail
Incident with any rail vehicle inside the site or while handling railcars
On-site road / Vehicle
Incident with a vehicle inside the site including private cars and industrial vehicles except forklifts.
Off-site road / Vehicle
Incident on the public road with any type of vehicle or on foot to and from the workplace. Includes business travel.
Other mobile equipment
Incidents whose main cause is the use of equipment other than moving machinery, overhead crane, vehicle and train.
Explosion
A release of energy that causes a pressure discontinuity or blast wave (e.g., detonations, deflagrations, and rapid releases of high pressure caused by rupture of equipment or piping).
Fire
Any incident resulting from the combustion of materials and propagation of the flames causing damage to people, installation and the environment.
Gassing / Asphyxiation
Incident in any area where gas can accumulate or be trapped, and the air does not sustain or support life.
- ‘gassing’ when the breathing air contents a toxic gas;
- ‘asphyxiation’ occurs when the oxygen rate in the breathing air decreases below 19.5%
Exposure to chemicals
Incident caused by contact or exposure to hazardous chemical substance. If the injury is caused by breathing toxic gas, the injury is categorized into cause gassing / asphyxiation.
Hot metal
Incidents caused by hot or liquid metal. Main risks are heat radiation, splashing, scalding from hot metal.
Hot substances
Incident caused by exposure to any type of hot material, equipment, surface, steam or water. If the injury is caused by hot metal, the injury is categorized into that cause.
Electrical
Incident caused by exposure to electrical energy directly or indirectly.
Product handling / storage
Incident involving the handling, movement and storage of products, machinery or equipment. Steel products can be sharp-edged or move when cooling or being stored by crane.
Product loading
Any incident resulting from the process of loading and unloading products, semi-products, raw materials or any equipment to or from a truck trailer, a rail trailer or a ship.
Manual tasks and tools
Incident caused when performing tasks manually or using hand tools or power tools. If the injury is caused by e.g.,sharp edges of steel while handling the product, the injury is categorized into cause product handling / storage.
Slip, trip, fall same level
Incident caused by falling on the same level, not from elevation. Slips happen when there is too little friction or traction between the footwear and the walking surface. A trip is the result of a foot striking or colliding with an object, which causes a loss in balance.
Structural failure
Any incident resulting from a failure of the structure of a building, machinery or equipment.
Object in the eye
Incident caused by something that enters the eye from outside the body.
Other
Incident is caused by a reason which is not listed. In case there are several reasons behind the incident, the most suitable is chosen.
Unknown
The cause of the incident is not known by the reporter at that time.
Preventive actions
Preventive actions are activities planned with the intention of preventing the occurrence of safety incidents. They include:- Health and safety audits
- Walks
- Safety inspections
- Reviews
- Innovations
- Positive safety observations
Calculation of frequency rates
Hours worked
For company employees, the total number of hours worked including overtime and training during the period. For contractor employees, the total number of hours worked for the company during the period.
Work-related and non-work-related injuries
Work-related injury
A workplace injury is the direct result of ‘work-related’ activities for which management controls are, or should have been in place, or those occurring during business travel.
- Exposure (contact with, contacted by, falls, etc.) to workplace conditions that directly result in injury, i.e., slippery floors, falling objects, protruding objects, molten metal, dust, gases
- Strains and sprains while performing work-related activities such as strenuous lifting and pulling. In summary, those injuries in which corrective action(s) can be identified and can be taken to improve upon the work being done at the time of the injury (This point is the key determining factor.)
- ‘Work-related’ includes attending company-sponsored courses, conferences, business travel, or any other activity where presence is expected by the company. For contractor personnel, ‘work-related’ normally includes only the time spent on company premises
- Injuries occurring in member company car parking lots, walkways, or any other portion of company property
- Symptoms arising on member company property or business travel that are the result of other factors, i.e., cold or flu, heart attack
- Voluntary participation in wellness programmes/sports
- Personal grooming, self-medication, self-infliction
- Vehicle incidents/on foot travel to and from work, other than during business travel
Commuting accident
Any accident on the public road during trip from home to the workplace or from the workplace back home with any type of vehicle or on foot. Accidents inside the site or during business travel are excluded as they are considered workplace accidents. worldsteel recognises that not all companies record commuting accidents because of local legislation and also that not all commuting accidents are the result of measures the company has or has not taken.Sickness absence
Sickness absence
Absence from work on the grounds of incapacity to work due to any sickness, work-related or not, and which could qualify for ‘disability income’. All other cases of absence such as pregnancy, childbirth, leave, training and seminars are not included in the definition of sickness absence.
Sickness absence rate
Sickness absence rate is calculated as total number of hours of sickness.
Calculation methods of frequency rates |
Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate: Number of (F + LTI) * 1,000,000 / hours worked |
Total Recorded Injury Frequency Rate: Number of (F + LTI + RWC + MTI) * 1,000,000 / hours worked |
All Injury Frequency Rate: Number of (F + LTI + RWC + MIT + MI) * 1,000,000 / hours worked |
Fatality Frequency Rate: Number of F * 1,000,000 / hours worked |
Preventive Actions Frequency Rate: Number of individual preventive actions * 1,000,000 /hours worked |
Percentage of Potential Serious Injuries and Fatalities: Number of PSIF events / Number of total events * 100 |