MUL-E Occupational Health and Environmental Safety Systems
Mission Statement
Mul-E Tech is committed to protecting the environment, health, and safety of our employees, customers and the communities where we operate.
We realize that by integrating sound environmental, health, and safety
management practices into all aspects of our business, we can offer
technologically innovative services while conserving and enhancing
our living resources for future generations.
Mul-E Tech strives for continuous improvement in our environmental,
health and safety management systems and in the environmental quality
of our products, processes, and services.
Guiding Principles
-Meet or exceed all applicable environmental, health and safety requirements. We
will evaluate our EHS performance by monitoring ongoing performance results
and through periodic management reviews.
-Where laws and regulations do not provide adequate controls, we will adopt
our own standards to protect human health and the environment.
-Advocate the adoption of prudent environmental, health and safety principles
and practices by our contractors, vendors, and suppliers.
-Communicate environmental, health, and safety policies and programs to
Mul-E employees and stakeholders.
-Design, manage and operate our facilities to maximize safety, promote
energy efficiency, and protect the environment.
-Strive to create products that are safe in their intended use, conserve
energy and materials, and prevent pollution throughout the product life cycle
including design, manufacture, use, and end-of-life management.
-Ensure that all employees are aware of their role and responsibility to fulfill
and sustain Mul-E's environmental, health and safety management systems
and policy.
Key Actions
Training
An integral part of any health and safety management system is training related
to the hazards associated with the workplace. We provides staff with
training directly related to the immediate workplace conditions. This training
must be viewed as an on going integral part of the health and safety
management system. The responsibility to ensure that all staff working within
a unit have received the appropriate training, both that which is prescribed by
legislation and that which is Company based, rests with the direct supervisor
and ultimately with the head for the given unit. The type of training, which
needs to be provided, includes: training prescribed by legislation, hazard
identification skills, proper use of personal protective equipment, health and
safety policy/ procedure training; proper techniques to be used in carrying out
workplace procedures; and duties, rights and responsibilities under the
applicable legislation. The most appropriate, knowledgeable and competent
person available should carry out delivery of the training. The immediate
supervisor should deliver much of the training, as that person has direct
knowledge of many of the hazards associated with the work.
Performance Standards
In developing the management system to accompany the Company's Health and
Safety Policy, it is recognized that neither of these two are static entities. Both
elements are living entities, which are required to be flexible to respond to the
ever changing legislative requirements as well as the reality of the changing
elements of a dynamic workplace. The types of issues, which arise in today's
workplace environment, must be dealt with from both a legislative requirement
perspective as well as addressing the true risks associated with the work
activity. The primary way of uncovering these issues is through an active
inspection, monitoring and audit process. Each team is required to ensure
that the appropriate performance standards are established within the work
unit, that they are adhered to and fully implemented. A system of record
keeping of the monitoring is required and must be kept up to date, including
details of what corrective actions are implemented.
Risk Assessments
It is the responsibility of the Safety Officer to conduct risk assessments and
satisfy themselves that the risk assessments are: Completed; Completed to
consistent and reasonable standards; Relate to the current work performed
within the department; Are reviewed on an annual basis; and are supported by
adequate and up-to-date records. The Department of Environmental Health
and Safety can also be contacted for guidance and assistance.
Inspections and Monitoring
In order to verify and document the functioning and effectiveness of safety
programs and policies, a system of active and reactive monitoring must be
maintained. A workplace must have a portion to be inspected monthly by a
worker member of a Joint Health and Safety Committee, and the entire
workplace must be inspected yearly. To effectively support these
requirements, regular departmental inspections must be conducted. The
principle behind conducting an inspection is to conduct a physical check on a
department to identify the presence of hazards requiring control measures to
be put into place. Inspections at the departmental level should enable a
Department Head to establish whether the standards required by the
Company and the legislation are being complied with and are fully
implemented. If compliance issues exist, it is a requirement for the
Department Head to ensure that the necessary steps are taken to correct any
deficiencies. The Department of Environmental Health and Safety can also be
contacted for advice, direction and training in this area. As a second level
check on the effectiveness and efficiency of the management system, routine
proactive monitoring should occur. The Joint Health and Safety Committee
members should conduct this check as they complete the required legislative
checks. Unfortunately no matter how effective a safety management system
is put into place, serious occurrences do occur from time to time. When these
situations arise, a reactive monitoring system needs to be used. This allows
for a consistent follow up to these occurrences, determining the true root
cause and facilitating the implementation of the appropriate corrective
measures. In these situations, the Department of Environmental Health and
Safety needs to be contacted so that they can assist the department in
finding the root cause and suggest corrective action to prevent a
re-occurrence. Other people to contact include the certified members of the
local Joint Health and SafetyCommittee, the supervisor and Safety Officer for
the Department. In the event of a fatality or critical accident as defined by the
EHS team the GM also be notified and will, in most cases, investigate.
Auditing
The audit system provides another check on the overall Occupational Health and
Safety System at the Company and will be performance based. The audit will be
carried out on various departments by the Department of Environmental Health
and Safety in conjunction with Internal Audit and will measure the level of
compliance by the various departments with this management system and the
overall Company Policy on Occupational Health and Safety. This achieves
two objectives: the senior administration have an overview of each
department's level of compliance with the required legislation and policies of
the Company, and any shortcomings are clearly identified, allowing Department
Heads and Directors to set specific priorities for addressing shortcomings in
resource allocations and other areas, which directly impact on their program
delivery.
Review
On a yearly basis, the Head of Environmental Health and Safety is required to
produce a formal report on the level of compliance by the Company with the
legal requirements of the applicable health and safety and environmental
legislation.