Overview
Priorities and Outcomes
Key Sustainability Indicators
Year in Review
A key focus for 2008/09 was to improve our safety performance. Our LTIFR reduced from 12.7 to 5.1 but workplace injuries remained essentially unchanged, despite a 28% reduction in cylinder handling and mobile equipment incidents. The role of HSE Advisor was created and an experienced Health and Safety professional was recruited, whose initial focus was to develop a Health and Safety management system. Twenty-seven procedures were developed in consultation with the workforce.
Formal injury management training was provided for 17 operational managers and team leaders in support of our belief that front line employees have a crucial role to play in terms of handling injured workers in a positive way.
Our new Fitness for Work policy was implemented including random drug and alcohol testing. 185 personnel (employees and contractors) were tested across 10 sites with four positive results. We supported individuals with positive results with counselling and management plans. Implementation of the Fitness for Work policy was supported by formal training for all operational managers and team leaders.
We constructed and commissioned a new gaseous helium filling facility whilst our acetylene plant and nitrogen liquefier both saw their first full year of operation in 2008/09.
We made detailed plans and successfully executed a major shutdown of our Port Kembla air separation & hydrogen production facilities.
people
We achieved an 81% response rate in
our first formal employee survey and we have an ongoing commitment to implement action plans based on the feedback received from our employees.
The main goal of the employee survey was to collect and act on feedback regarding our current state in order to ensure that:
- Employees understand their role in achieving our corporate objective of growing value through our business with essential products;
- Employees and their managers / team leaders understand and actively address what most influences employee commitment, motivation, and performance;
- The company hears and acts on what employees have to say; and
- Employees understand how important they are to Coregas.
Our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) was available to all employees and their immediate families. Six individuals made use of this service in 2008/09.
A customer experience survey was completed in May 2008 and this became the catalyst for several initiatives in the 2008/09 year. These initiatives included the introduction of a ‘perfect order’ programme and a review of credit management processes. We endeavour to respond to all feedback and complaints when received.
people
CARBON
Greenhouse Emissions
Our total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were estimated to be 63,433 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), up 23 per cent on last year, and this equates to 603 tonnes of CO2e per million dollars of revenue, up 26 per cent on last year. The increase in GHG emissions is largely due to the fact that Scope 3 emissions data has been included this year. The GHG emissions were largely due to electricity consumption at our Port Kembla air separation & hydrogen production facility (approximately 90 per cent).
Energy use
Our main energy use during the year related to the operation of our Port Kembla air separation & hydrogen production facility. Total energy consumption was estimated to be 258,522 gigajoules, down 1.8 per cent on last year. Our total energy consumption per million dollars of revenue was estimated to be 2,459 gigajoules, up by 0.5 per cent on last year. This energy use is broken down into electricity (78 per cent of total energy consumption), natural gas (15 per cent) and fuel (7 per cent).
Waste
Improvements were made to our new acetylene operation with the installation of a carbide dust extraction unit and through the implementation of arrangements for reuse of the lime slurry by-product.
Dust extraction has ensured that employees were not exposed to calcium carbide dust whilst the reuse of the lime slurry by-product (for water treatment and land application purposes) has ensured that further treatment and disposal of this liquid waste has not been required.
We recycled 58 tonnes of steel from gas cylinders that could no longer be refurbished and a further 35 tonnes of steel from crushed calcium carbide drums.
Governance
We are not aware of any non-compliance during the year with licensing or approval conditions.
Community Support
Our site is classified as Contaminated – Restricted We entered our 23rd year of sponsoring the Tradesperson of the Year award through the Welding Technology Industry Association as a way of showing continued support of young people and their talents.
We continued to support the Constable Care programme which provides safety information to children, teachers, parents and caregivers and features a safety activity book for children. Our sponsorship included the contribution of a page in the health section on the safe use of helium (party) balloons.
We also contributed to the Diabetes Australia Kids Camp in New South Wales.
Our contributions toward the preservation of our Heritage through the Sydney Heritage Fleet will continue over the next two years, whilst future community support endeavours are likely to target research and education in medical fields.
2010 Priorities
- To improve HSE management with the introduction of more lead indicators.
- To conduct our operations safely and reduce our all injuries frequency rate.
- To positively contribute to and engage with the communities in which we operate.
- To implement a manual handling programme and provide comprehensive training to personnel.
- To conduct fatigue management training for Coregas truck drivers (employees and contractors).
- To complete a safety report plan for our Yennora site in line with MHF legislation.