Since our goal is to provide families around the world with high-quality food, it stands to reason that we also feel a great responsibility to our employees and their families. We're continually working to improve processes that protect the health and welfare of our employees.
Smithfield Foods, Inc. - Health and Safety Summary
Smithfield Foods, Inc. has taken the approach that although occupational health and safety is highly regulated in the United States, more so than almost any other country in the world, 100 percent compliance 100 percent of the time with regulatory statutes is not enough to keep people safe. Many folks in industry when referring to "standards" are more often than not talking about regulations or law. We have made a choice to establish our own "standards." Our standards go well above and beyond regulatory compliance. Our approach to occupational health and safety has been to develop a system of managing the organization to reduce or eliminate potential risks to persons at our locations. Smithfield's Employee Injury Prevention Management System (known as EIPMS) was built on a platform surrounding our successful Environmental Management System that includes a requirement for ISO 14001 certification at all locations. The foundation for EIPMS starts with the elements of OSHAS 18001 enhanced with elements from ANSI Z10 and OSHA VPP as well.
Although here in the United States we have many laws and various Occupational Safety and Health Administration agencies, we generally lack an overall management system. Often times a location manager delegates all occupational health and safety responsibility to a safety manager, which leads somehow to the plant operations group not being involved in managing safety risks for employees. EIPMS is designed to involve all groups functioning at a location, hourly and management persons alike.
The primary objective for Smithfield's EIPMS is to build a culture where employee health and safety are not merely a high priority, but core values of our business. We all know what happens to priorities. EIPMS is designed to minimize potential risks to employees and others, improve business performance, assist our organization in establishing a leadership position within the industry and build a responsible image within the marketplace.
Basic elements of the Employee Injury Prevention Management System are as follows:
General Requirements — Requires each location to establish and maintain a management system that ensures conformance to all local, state and federal regulatory statutes, general industry-accepted safe work practices and other standards.
Occupational Health and Safety Policy Element — Requires each location to develop a policy meant to establish an overall sense of direction and define the principles of action for the organization. A policy must set objectives, identify responsibility, establish targets for performance and demonstrate formal commitment. The Smithfield Foods, Inc. Health and Safety Policy is included below.
Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control Element — Requires each location to establish procedures and identify, determine and control potential risks associated with identified and unintentional hazards to include routine and non-routine tasks.
Legal and Other Requirements Element — Requires each location to identify, understand and be aware of any regulatory responsibilities at the local, state and federal level affecting its operations and communicate requirements to affected personnel.
Setting Objectives Element — Requires each location to establish and document occupational health and safety objectives and track results in all relevant areas. Requirements include establishing overall objectives as well as objectives based on the outcome of the locations hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control activities.
Developing Management Plans/Programs Element — Requires each location to ensure that OH&S objectives and the processes by which they are achieved, including tasks/steps, are monitored, reviewed and updated. These plans/programs must be documented.
Structure and Responsibility Element — Requires each location to establish roles, responsibilities and authorities for all persons who are involved with EIPMS. The locations must ensure that these roles, responsibilities and authorities are defined, documented and communicated as appropriate to ensure a high level of employee participation and engagement, including all management and hourly personnel.
Training, Awareness and Competence Element — Requires each location to develop effective procedures for all awareness level training and other specialized training to ensure that personnel are competent to perform specific tasks assigned to them.
Communication and Consultation Element — Requires each location to develop procedures for communicating with individuals and organizations both internal and external to the location. Communication procedures should include how the location will encourage participation and support of its OH&S practices, policies and objectives from anyone who might be affected by the operations. Procedures should include effective communication with employees, visitors, vendors, contractors, consultants and other parties including, but not limited to, media, sales, trades publications, community organizations and regulatory agencies.
Documentation, Documents and Data Control Element — Requires each location to develop procedures to ensure that the OH&S management system is adequately understood and that personnel can execute the system effectively and efficiently. This section also requires each location to identify and control documents and information related to the system to ensure effective OH&S operations.
Operational Controls Element — Requires each location to develop procedures to control potential risks identified, fulfill policy and objectives, and conform to legal and other requirements. This element typically covers safety operating policies, procedures, programs and other control measures utilized to comply with regulatory requirements as well as prevent injuries and illnesses associated with potential risks identified.
Emergency Preparedness and Response Element — Requires each location to identify all potential emergency situations that can reasonably be expected to occur. The organization should actively develop and review procedures towards possible accident and emergency response scenarios and have plans to meet these possibilities through conducting preparedness drills to test the system's readiness. Locations are also expected to communicate with local, state and federal response agencies to coordinate activities where applicable.
Performance Measuring and Monitoring Element — Requires each location to establish key performance parameters from all parts of the organization including overall location performance as well as individual performance reviews to monitor the activities associated with and effectiveness of the OH&S management system. At a minimum, measures are required for achieving policies and objectives; risk assessment; lessons learned; effective awareness, training and communication; and other information deemed useful.
Accidents, Incidents, Non-conformances, and Corrective & Preventive Action Element — Requires each location to developed procedures identifying non-conformance in addition to accidents and near misses and strive to prevent the occurrence and/or reoccurrence of those incidents. These procedures must allow for root cause analysis, timely reporting, and timely abatement and follow-up activities to ensure actions taken address all contributing factors.
Records and Records Management Element — Requires each location to develop procedures for providing and maintaining evidence that the OH&S is operating effectively and that all programs, policies and procedures are carried out as required. Locations must document who is responsible and where specific records are maintained.
Auditing Element — Requires each location to develop procedures for reviewing and continually monitoring the effectiveness of its OH&S management system. Each location must develop an internal audit program to be conducted at planned intervals. In addition to the locations internal audit process each location is subject to external auditing by Smithfield Foods Corporate Headquarters and/or its selected 3rd party auditing firm well versed in both regulatory and company-imposed requirements.
Management Review Element — Requires each location to develop procedures surrounding its top management to conduct reviews of the OH&S management system. This includes assessing the system for continual improvement opportunities, follow-up of internal and external audit/inspection findings, and driving action where applicable.
In our desire to build a value-based safety culture, Smithfield Foods, Inc. has approached the implementation of its health and safety management system (EIPMS) with a core safety steering team in place made up of each independent operating company's Corporate Safety Professional, along with Marsh Risk Consulting, and chaired by the Smithfield Food's Corporate Director of Health & Safety. The team's mission is to assist in training others in developing the system and to raise awareness emphasizing health and safety and each employee's responsibility with respect to their own and their co-workers' well being. The Employee Injury Prevention Management System has assisted in successful achievement of objectives, including a substantial reduction in occupational injury and illness rates for our organization.