Protecting Human Safety and Health

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Occupational health

The goal of preventive health care in the workplace is to protect the health of employees – both Total’s own and those of the service providers who work at our facilities. Preventive health care also aims to check employee fitness for work and avoid occupational accidents and illnesses.

Tracking trends in occupational diseases

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Our Health-Safety-Environment network conducts annual surveys of occupational diseases. This reporting is common to all our worldwide subsidiaries. We use it to:

highlight multi-year trends in occupational illnesses;
identify the pathologies that have the highest incidence in the Group;
improve techniques for preventing occupational health risks and define action plans to address them.

For example, the sixth annual survey (2009) confirmed the rising incidence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). It also identified other risks and conditions such as past exposure to asbestos and hearing problems.

Assessing occupational risks

We pursue our efforts to prevent occupational risks within the framework of Total's Occupational Health and Hygiene Guidelines. This document sets out the basic principles governing occupational risk assessment and is consistent with the Health-Safety-Environment management systems in place in the Group.

The Guidelines recommend a method for identifying occupational hazards and assessing the risks according to each specific workplace situation. Targeted action plans to mitigate those risks are then defined.

The Guidelines are currently being phased in throughout the Group. By the end of 2009, 66% of our major sites were compliant.

A Health & Hygiene coordinator is now appointed at each site to ensure that a system of preventive health care, protection and promotion of occupational health is in place. He coordinates activities with the functions that possess the relevant expertise, such as industrial hygiene, safety/environment, occupational healthcare professions, and human resources.

The Health Coordinator is also tasked with documenting all preventive health care initiatives and handling the reporting of occupational illnesses.

Medical follow-up of employees

Most of our larger subsidiaries have their own health services in-house. For smaller entities, medical follow-up of employees is entrusted to external providers selected by the Group. Virtually all of our entities arrange for their employees to receive regular medical follow-up.

The physicians of the Group's International Medical Department also conduct regular audits of the medical infrastructure available in host countries. These evaluations ensure that our worldwide employees have access to quality health care.

Evaluating and tackling work-related stress

Total's corporate management and the Occupational Health Department, with the agreement of employee representatives, established a Medical Observatory of Stress in 2008. Interested employees at head office (Paris) are invited to complete a questionnaire on stress during their regular medical checkup on a purely voluntary basis. The comprehensive and anonymous statistical data gathered via this survey are analyzed by an independent body. Findings are communicated to the Occupational Health Department, top management and employee representatives, who use them to define and implement any necessary measures. The survey is being extended to several other Group entities in 2010.

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