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We first published our Health, Safety and Environment Policy in
1999. This was reissued by the Chief Executive in October 2001 following
the rebranding of the company. The policy is implemented through
a series of performance-based standards and targets. Progress is
measured through a reporting system and audits.
Policies and procedures cover some of the areas embraced by Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) including corporate governance, risk
management and employment practices. We are now working to develop
a broader approach to CSR covering the range of social and ethical
issues associated with our business.
We will identify areas for improvement through a process of internal
and external dialogue and benchmarking against our peers. We want
to ensure that we are in a position to respond to growing investor
interest in this area and any future voluntary standards or legislation
on CSR including the proposals currently being considered by the
European Union.
In 2001 we were pleased to be included in the FTSE4Good Index of
UK listed companies which meet certain ethical investment criteria.
Responsibilities
The Chief Executive of Amersham holds main board responsibility
for health, safety and the environment. Day to day responsibility
rests with line managers in our business units.
Advice and support to sites is provided by health, safety and environment
(HSE) professionals within each business and the Director of Corporate
Health, Safety and Environment.
An environment committee was established in October 2000 to provide
strategic direction and coordination of our environmental programme.
The future scope and structure of this committee is under review
following a recent organisational change and due to the general
shift towards embracing health, safety and environment within the
framework of CSR.
Management systems
We have 40 corporate standards covering HSE and related issues that
we aim to implement throughout the company by the end of 2003. The
standards are performance-based and local management at our operating
sites are developing action plans to comply with them. Information
about our standards will be made available on our website shortly.
HSE professionals within the company are assessing our sites for
compliance with the standards. Initial site assessments have been
conducted at 17 sites, focusing on our most significant sites first.
HSE employees work with local managers to identify gaps and actions
needed. After 2003 we plan to carry out formal audits of compliance
at major sites every three years.
Although it is not a company requirement, four of our sites have
achieved certification to the international environmental management
standard ISO14001. These are our primary production (chemical manufacturing)
plant in Lindesnes, our sales and marketing organisation in Sweden,
and two manufacturing facilities belonging to our Nihon Medi-Physics
joint venture in Chiba and Hyogo, Japan. This experience will help
us to assess whether external certification adds additional value
to our internal management systems and provides marketing benefits.
Environmental impact reviews
In 2001 we began a programme to carry out reviews of our environmental
impacts at all our manufacturing and research and development sites.
The findings will help us to quantify our impacts and refine plans
for improving our performance. We plan to complete the reviews by
the end of 2002.
Compliance
Our HSE standards aim to achieve performance beyond legal compliance.
There were no prosecutions for any HSE offences during 2000 and
2001, nor did we receive any formal notices of a technical or administrative
nature involving fines over £1,000.
Targets
At the end of 1999, to accompany the launch of our first Health,
Safety and Environment Policy, we set five broad initial targets
covering a three to five year time-frame.
This is the first year that we have reported group-wide environmental
data. Next year we plan to develop an internal process to set performance-based
targets.
Health, Safety and Environment Policy
Amersham’s Health, Safety and Environment Policy confirms our commitment
to ensure the health and safety of people and to protect the environment.
It applies to all employees while at work, and to all businesses,
companies and other entities controlled by Amersham plc.
- We regard sound health, safety and environment practices as
an integral part of the way we manage all aspects of our business
operations.
- We issue common health, safety and environment standards, and
require all our sites and business units to comply with these
and with local regulatory requirements.
- We set quantifiable health, safety and environment objectives,
and hold line management responsible for achieving these by a
process of continuous improvement.
- We train, supervise and motivate our people to work in a safe,
healthy and environmentally responsible manner.
- We aim to minimise the generation of waste, to promote the use
of sustainable resources and to make economic use of all materials,
supplies and energy.
- We transport our materials and products safely and with due
regard to people, property and the environment.
- We recognise and respond to health, safety and environment concerns
of customers, employees, and the public.
| Target |
Date |
Status/progress |
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| Reduce the frequency of lost time
accidents by 30% between 1998-2001 |
2001 |
Target achieved. We reduced the frequency
of lost time accidents by 31% |
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| Compile environmental data for 2000
and 2001 for public reporting in 2002 |
2001 |
Target achieved. This is our first
report that includes group-wide environmental data |
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| Complete environmental impact reviews
at our manufacturing and research and development sites before
the end of 2002 |
2002 |
Ongoing – environmental impact reviews
are in progress |
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| Reduce absenteeism by 10% between
2000 and 2002 |
2002 |
Ongoing – in 2000 the absenteeism
rate was 2.9% and increased to 3.1% in 2001 |
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| Achieve auditable compliance with
health, safety and environment standards by the end of 2003
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2003 |
Ongoing – initial site audits have
been conducted at 17 sites, focusing on our most significant
sites first |
Sir William Castell
Chief Executive
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