Working Safely
ICL manages its occupational health & industrial hygiene to recognize, evaluate, and minimize employees’ exposure to occupational health hazards. ICL’s Global EHS management evaluates the safety performance of ICL’s sites on a global level as well as shares best practices and creates internal guidelines. In addition, ICL’s employees conduct repeated safety training to minimize risks and accidents. ICL monitors working conditions and has implemented internal employee health and safety (EHS) standards that are much stricter than regulatory demands. \
We take precautions to enhance the safety of our operations and to reduce risks to our employees and contractors.
As a chemical industry company, we must manage the risk of potential hazardous exposure to materials, processes, production and mining. We take precautions to enhance the safety of our operations and to reduce risks.
Air quality monitoring is implemented at all relevant facilities. The health of employees is checked regularly, and all required and agreed upon safety equipment is provided to our employees.
EHS-related activities are conducted at ICL facilities worldwide. Actions range from implementing multi-year dust reduction plans and installing better lighting to providing ergonomically correct equipment.
Knowledge sharing is encouraged through regional safety forums, headed by regional safety leaders (for Israel, Europe, Americas, APAC). These Forums discuss ICL guidelines and policies, present safety events and hazards recognized at specific sites, and share ideas on prevention methods and lessons learned.
This systematic knowledge sharing system helps to implement best practices and to create a safer working environment.
ICL requires and provides the use of safety equipment.
The work environments of ICL Employees can include potential EHS risks, depending on their specific roles and sites. To mitigate these risks, we require and provide the use of all needed safety equipment.
ICL’s subsidiaries maintain site-specific safety committees that are comprised of representatives of management and employees. Each committee defines and implements safety measures such as mandating the use of personal protection equipment, requiring periodic checkups for employees and collecting fines for safety violations. Work regulations include instructions on a range of issues, including hygiene, as well as explicit disciplinary measures in the event of safety violations.
Safety and health issues are also included in most of our labor agreements. For example, the following health and safety topics are covered by the Company’s labor agreements in Israel:
- Personal protective equipment
- Joint management – employee health and safety
Committees - Participation of worker representatives in health and
safety inspections, audits and accident investigations - Training and education in health and safety issues
- Complaints mechanism – right to refuse unsafe work
- Periodic inspections
- Enforcement
Enhancing the Safety of Our Contractors
ICL takes responsibility for its contractors and business partners. We ensure that our contractors have the right skills and knowledge to perform their work in a safe way, as part of the company’s vision to establish a leading position in safety practices. In 2018 we plan to increase our engagement with our contractors, to ensure their safe work.
Contractors will be evaluated on their safety performance. We are working with our contacts to implement regular health checks that ICL will pay for. Contractors will need to provide evidence that at least 80% of their employees have been checked.
We see this as a long-term process that will benefit both us and our contractors. We are starting a pilot program in some of our sites in Israel and intend to implement it globally in the future.
