Health & safety

Elementis is committed to preventing harm to people and the environment

Elementis plc is committed to preventing harm to people and the environment in a sustainable way. Good health, safety and environmental (HSE) performance allows the Group to focus on developing, manufacturing and selling our products without the cost in both human and financial terms of accidents and incidents.

Continued improvement in performance

Continued improvement in the health, safety and welfare of our employees and others affected by our activities was maintained during 2006. Our goal is zero injuries and work related illnesses. Our objective for 2007 is to be in the top quartile of comparable companies in the US and UK.

Lost time accidents (LTAs)

A key measure of safety performance is the number of lost time accidents (LTAs). LTAs are defined in the UK as "injuries resulting in more than three days lost (not including the day of injury)".

There were five LTAs in 2006, corresponding to a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 hours worked. This is well below the Chemical Industries Association (CIA) member average and is estimated to be around the top quartile for the chemical industry.

Recordable incidents

With the reduction in number of accidents resulting in lost time we have adopted on a global basis the US Occupation Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) definition of recordable injuries and illnesses. This more detailed underlying measure of safety performance includes all incidents that require more than first aid treatment.

The number of recordable incidents reduced by four, leading to a recordable incident rate of 1.12 per 200,000 hours worked. The American Chemistry Council (ACC) member rate for similar sized US companies in 2005 was 1.23 per 200,000 hours.

Contractor safety

Elementis regards the safety of contractors working as being of vital importance. Contractor safety management practices are adopted to ensure that contractor safety is treated equally with employee safety.

Community well being

Elementis aims to promote the safety and well being of the communities in which it operates.