Joint Health and Safety Committees
The potash workforce is represented in joint management-worker health and safety committees mandated by regulation. The nitrogen and phosphate workforce has voluntary management-worker committees to address health and safety concerns. All health and safety committees are located at the individual facilities.
Injury Rates
In 2007, the lost-time injury rate was reduced by 48 percent from the previous year, to a record low 0.20.
PotashCorp achieved another relatively low overall recordable injury rate in 2007. Despite record performance for the recordable injury rate in both the nitrogen and phosphate divisions, diminished performance in the potash division meant that the company-wide rate was 9 percent higher than the record low achieved in 2006.
Injury Frequency Rates |
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| (per 200,000 work hours) | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| Lost-time Injury Frequency Rate | 0.28 | 0.26 | 0.36 | 0.39 | 0.20 |
| Recordable Injury Frequency Rate | 2.21 | 1.93 | 2.35 | 1.79 | 1.94 |
| Source: PotashCorp | |||||
Recording and Reporting Accident Statistics
PotashCorp's safety, health and environment (SHE) management system prescribes a specific, timely reporting requirement for SHE events. It complies substantially with the International Labor Organization's Code of Practice on Recording and Notification of Occupational Accidents and Diseases. It also follows reporting and notification requirements in the countries where it operates: the United States, Canada, Trinidad and Brazil.
Fatalities
There were no fatalities in 2007.
Programs for Serious Diseases
PotashCorp adopted a corporate-wide comprehensive approach to the management of serious diseases, such as diabetes, repetitive stress injury (RSI), stress and HIV/AIDS, in the workplace. Employees with a chronic or life-threatening illness will be treated in the same manner as any other employee, provided they continue to competently perform the duties of their positions and their health conditions do not pose a hazard to themselves or others.
Discriminatory acts by employees against a fellow employee or others with a chronic or life-threatening illness are unacceptable, and the offenders may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination. The company will comply with applicable privacy laws by treating all employee medical information as strictly confidential.
Without medical evidence to the contrary, the company does not believe that the presence of an employee with a chronic or life-threatening illness, including AIDS, poses a workplace hazard. Such employees will not be subject to different or unusual treatment, unless those actions are medically necessary to protect their safety or the safety of others.
PotashCorp's Programs for Serious Diseases
Elements of PotashCorp's Programs for Serious Diseases* |
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US |
Canada |
Trinidad |
Brazil |
|
| Education and Training for Workers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Education and Training for Workers' Families | Yes | Yes | Yes, as applicable | No |
| Counseling for Workers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Counseling for Workers' Families | Yes | Yes | Yes, as applicable | No |
| Measures to Limit Exposure and Transmission of Disease among Workers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Measures to Limit Exposure and Transmission of Disease among Workers' Families | No | No | Yes, as applicable | No |
| Treatment Provided to Workers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Treatment Provided to Workers' Families | Yes | Yes | Yes, as applicable | Yes |
| Community Programs | No | No | Yes, when necessary | No |
|
*Serious diseases could include diabetes, RSI, stress and HIV/AIDS Source: PotashCorp |
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The company's Trinidad operation has introduced a specific HIV/AIDS program that provides education and training, counseling, prevention and risk control for workers.
