After a 59% reduction in the number of workplace accidents with and without lost time (TRIR) between 2001 and 2005, new targets were set in the 2006-2009 plan. Improvement programs are continuing, in particular to enhance contractor safety and reduce the number of road accidents.
Reducing occupational accidents
The 2006 target of a 10% reduction in TRIR was exceeded. With 5.1 accidents per million hours worked, TRIR was reduced by 19% over one year as reported, or 14% when the Arkema spin-off in early 2006 is taken into account.
Total Recordable Injury Rate (TRIR) per million hours worked*
Total Recordable Injury Rate (TRIR)
per million hours worked*, by business
* Group and contractors employees.
This improvement has been achieved in each of our businesses. Exploration & Production's TRIR is one of the lowest in the industry, while the TRIR for oil, gas and petrochemical activities has declined to 3.4, putting Total in the top four among international oil companies.
Our Safety Reporting Guide specifies the criteria for accident classification and ensures that these criteria comply with international standards.
Contractor safety
Our occupational accident prevention policy also extends to contractor and service provider employees. Issued in September 2003, Group Safety Guideline No. 5 : Contractor Safety clearly specifies the same safety requirements for both Total and contractor employees.
To achieve this objective, we apply a multi-stage process in units :
- Strict selection of contractors based on specifications.
- Joint analysis of risks.
- Contractor employee training.
- On-site coordination and supervision.
- Assessment and feedback.
Applied across our organization, these principles have reduced contractor TRIR by 72% between 2001 and 2006.
Analysis of serious accidents
Eighteen workplace fatalities regrettably occurred in 2006, of which 17 were contractor employees. This figure was down slightly from 2005. The fatalities were caused by either onsite or road accidents, with the road accidents accounting for a slightly larger proportion. Often implicated in serious accidents, road transportation continues to be the target of dedicated safety improvement programs.
18 fatalities in 2006 by cause (Total and contractor employees)
The most serious accidents and near-misses are subject to an in-depth analysis and examined by the Management Committee of the business concerned. This process encourages the use of feedback and demonstrates the commitment of the most senior levels of management to effectively handling and preventing accidents.
By analyzing accidents and identifying their most frequent causes, we can target the areas that require preventive measures and use that information to prepare written safety standards and best practices handbooks. Following a number of serious onsite accidents caused by movements of heavy plant or vehicles, an onsite traffic safety guide was published in 2006.
Driving safety
In 2003, we introduced a Group Safety Guideline on driving safety. In response, units are rolling out preventive actions focused on providing training in defensive driving, vehicle specifications, improved travel preparations and incident and accident analysis procedures.
A number of shared initiatives were undertaken in 2006, including Petrochemicals' worldwide awareness campaign, detailed analyses of routes in Turkey and South Africa and, in Exploration & Production, preparing and supervising travel to hard-to-access areas.
Set up in 2005, the driving safety correspondent network bolstered its professionalism in 2006 with the road risk management program. Rolled out in collaboration with French road safety association La Prévention Routière, which Total has partnered since 2003, the program gives correspondents the necessary resources to do their work.
We are also involved in a number of partnerships, with:
More information on transportation of hazardous materials by road, go to : Transportation safety |
Petrochemicals Targets Onsite Traffic Safety
