Occupational Health and Safety

Goals and measures

Clariant aims to achieve a zero accidents culture and be a leader in safety in the chemical industry. Progress in this area is linked to the bonuses of management, and safety is integrated into the daily routines of all operations. In 2022, Clariant decided to move from LTAR, as bonus-relevant metric, to DART (Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred). This increases the focus on smaller events in addition to the more severe lost-time accidents, which helps to establish a zero-accident culture.

In 2022, the overall health and safety performance at Clariant’s sites declined slightly. The total number of lost-time accidents rose from 23 in 2021 to 29 in 2022. In addition, 9 lost-time accidents occurred involving contractors, which is a strong decrease compared to 17 accidents in 2021. First aid was required for 83 % of all recorded injuries; 12 % needed medical treatment; and 5 % of recorded injuries were restricted work cases. The most frequent injury types in 2022 were open wounds (24 %); sprains, bruises, and contusions (24 %); bone fractures (14 %); and chemical burns (14 %). Burn injuries, internal injuries, poisonings, and injuries by foreign bodies each accounted for 3 %. There were no limb losses or injuries due to electrical incidents.

The lost-time accident rate (LTAR) of 0.24 accidents per 200 000 hours of work rose compared to 2021. The total number of lost workdays decreased significantly from 974 in 2021 to 712 in 2022, representing a decrease of 27 %. This indicates that job-related injuries were less severe in 2022 than in 2021. Accordingly, the lost-workday rate (LWDR) decreased from 7.3 workdays lost per 200 000 hours of work in 2021 to 5.89 workdays lost per 200 000 hours of work in 2022.

There were no fatalities as a result of work-related ill health in 2022.

For 2022, Clariant defined the DART rate (the Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred), which includes Lost-Time Accidents and Restricted Work cases. With the definition of this new indicator, Clariant increases the insights into the accident occurrence even more to decrease the total number. The milestones are defined on the Group and business unit/service unit level for the calendar year. The DART rate rose from 0.34 in 2021 to 0.39 in 2022.

Work-related injuries ¹

Occupational accidents

013DEVELOPMENT OF CLARIANT LOST-TIME ACCIDENT RATE (LTAR)

Protection against health hazards

Clariant’s internal guideline »Protection from Hazards to Health« serves to prevent work-related illnesses and regulates the identification of work-related health hazards for all workplaces. The guideline includes defined review criteria and cycles. The Sub­stitution, Technical measures, Organizational, and Personal (STOP) principle defines the hierarchy of measures to be taken to prevent incidents. It must be applied to the control measures. A comprehensive audit system ensures quality and triggers con­tinuous improvements.

0156 LIVE-SAVING RULES

Handouts on Occupational Health and Safety-related topics

As part of the »Safety Moments« initiative, more than 375 illustrated handouts have been created for employees at Clariant and the training on Occupational Health and Safety-related topics – from operations to administration – since 2017. These are presented and discussed, for example, at the beginning of meetings and can be accessed via an internal platform. At the end of 2022, there were more than 300 »Safety Moments.«

Reporting near misses and unsafe situations

To report unsafe situations and near-miss incidents, Clariant’s employees can either approach their supervisors directly, submit a report using »Safety Counts!« cards, or utilize an online system at some sites. If employees identify a hazardous situation, they are permitted and encouraged to stop the activity and report to their supervisor. After a work-related incident, Clariant conducts an investigation to identify corrective actions to avoid recurrence. Specific methodologies are provided and described in Clariant’s investigation guide. According to internal processes, Lost-Time Accident and Restricted Work case reports are only closed if an appropriate investigation report is available and filed. The decision to close a report is made at the Group level by an assigned member of Corporate ESHA. In 2022, the numbers for unsafe situations and near misses stayed at a high level, which shows the high interest in and awareness of safety.

Global program for safe working conditions

AvoidingAccidents@Clariant is a global program that creates safe work environments, raises awareness of safety, and illustrates Clariant’s focus on prevention. Under the umbrella of the program, Clariant rolled out multifaceted trainings and tools to achieve the zero-accidents objective. These include, for example, safe behavior trainings, safety leadership improvements, safety checks, safety days, and safety weeks. Since the start of the program in 2007, the lost-time accident rate (LTAR) has decreased from 0.92 to 0.24 in 2022, as can be seen in Figure 013.

Learning Management System (LMS)

Clariant has a Learning Management System (LMS) that is used to provide, steer, and monitor various programs such as Occupational Health and Safety-related e-Learnings, webinars, and workshops. Additionally, there are special trainings regarding work-related hazards, hazardous activities, and potential hazardous situations. Additionally, there are special trainings provided by the respective plant and the building management regarding work-related hazards. These trainings are customized and depend on the jobs to be performed.

Workplace assessment

As part of Clariant’s audit program, internal experts from Corporate ESHA and Integrated Group System Management (IGSM) regularly visit sites to review workplace and process safety standards. To do this, they evaluate the facilities and determine corrective actions to address the main risks. Process Hazard Analyses (PHAs) are conducted regularly by competent personnel at the sites. Clariant established a Process Safety Academy to enhance the standard. This one-week training delivered theory and also practical knowledge on relevant Process Safety topics, facilitating a better implementation of the Process Safety standards at the sites. PHAs are reviewed at least every five years and updated as changes occur. If a change is implemented in a facility, change management procedures ensure that this change is assessed and controlled to avoid risks.

To protect employees from work-related hazards, each workplace undergoes a systematic, multistep assessment. This includes workplace ergonomics, lighting, noise, indoor air quality, humidity, and temperature. If a workplace falls below defined minimum requirements, Clariant takes measures to redesign that workplace.

Employee health checks

At certain workplaces, Clariant carries out regular comprehensive employee health checks. The objective is to detect signs of illness as early as possible. Clariant takes care to obtain special health certificates and to carry out vaccinations that are required for some jobs. Medical professionals anonymously report problems identified during employee personal health checks. Depending on local laws, these reports are addressed to the local ESHA organization or the appropriate area. The reported information is used to review mandatory workplace risk assessments in accordance with the guideline »Protection from Hazards to Health.« Clariant ensures medical confidentiality.

Worker participation, consultation, and communication on Occupational Health and Safety

Ninety-six percent of staff employed in production are represented by a safety committee. Considering the whole workforce (production, procurement, sales, and management), 88 % of staff are represented. At Clariant, safety issues are also addressed in committees that do not primarily deal with this topic. In case internal standards need to be modified or updated, a working group is established. The resulting draft is sent to the different stakeholders in Clariant’s business units and regions to solicit feedback. Feedback and requests for revisions are duly considered before the standard is finalized and approved. The relevant information is subsequently published in the Group Management System (GMS) database and on SharePoint.

Employees covered by an occupational health and safety management system

Occupational accidents by region

Occupational accidents of contractors