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August 21, 2003
Safety Focus Achieves Zero Recordable Incidents after Millions of Hours Worked
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In 2002, Alcoa’s Itajubá facility in Brazil posted zero recordable injuries or illnesses. This achievement earned the location the 2003 Health and Safety Benchmark Award from Alcoa Fujikura Ltd, and it serves as an example that zero is possible to achieve and maintain. As of July 31, 2003, the facility had posted no lost workdays after 10,690,457 hours worked and zero recordable incidents after 3,220,446 hours worked.
The groundwork for Itajubá’s achievement began in 1998 with the establishment of an environment, health, and safety (EHS) management system. Since then, the facility’s major focus has been hazard identification and risk evaluation to uncover potential hazards, evaluate their severity, and develop solutions that include control strategies and additional layers of protection. As of July 2003, a multidisciplinary team had identified and evaluated 435 risks and established 498 layers of protection.
The facility also uses small autonomous groups to ensure the effectiveness of EHS-related communications. One group randomly checks with employees to ensure they understand Alcoa’s EHS policy. Another focuses on educating employees about the main causes of accidents outside the plant. A third group is responsible for creating suitable communication tools for all levels within the organization, ensuring the information employees have is consistent and current at all times.
Another factor behind Itajubá’s performance is the integration of EHS and production within the Alcoa Business System. For example, the facility established standard practices for routine and non-routine activities. Each practice also includes the identification of hazards, risks, and preventive measures necessary to ensure the practice’s safe completion.
Another example is the identification and reduction of unnecessary movement of materials within the production process. By changing workflow, the facility improved productivity and achieved low ergonomic risk.
The greatest challenge facing Itajubá is maintaining an incident-free environment through continually improving the EHS management system, keeping its variety of independent EHS certifications, and guaranteeing that each individual has a role in the facility’s EHS performance.
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