PEOPLE HEALTH AND SAFETY HEALTH AND SAFETY

Employee health and safety continues to be the number one priority for SMI. Overseen by the environmental health and safety (EHS) Director, all employees are covered through the company’s health and safety management system, policies, and actions. Therefore, no employee is excluded from being protected on the job. Additionally, all full-time employees are offered health benefits packages.

SMI performs routine facility assessments and internal safety audits as a critical measure in identifying potential safety hazards in the workplace; Additionally, SMI conducts a job safety analysis audit (JSA) annually; And completes facility assessments at each location at least once per year; All employees are actively encouraged to report any potential workplace hazards to their supervisors or plant managers.

In 2022, the environmental health and safety team introduced an enterprise tracking system to document recordable incidents, assign tasks, and monitor compliance within each facility. Furthermore, the new system allows for consolidated and standardized root cause analysis. This, along with the additional monitoring and reporting opportunities, has been instrumental in the identification and management of workplace hazards across all locations.

The adoption of a new safety systems provides the ability to analyze safety performance data and target the most impactful prevention strategies. The main types of work-related injuries in SMI’s operations include puncture, strain, and caught-in or between injuries. SMI works mitigate more frequently occurring injuries by providing appropriate training and personal protection equipment.

SMI set an annual target for total recordable incident rate (TRIR) under 1.25. This meant a 1.4 reduction in 2022 compared to 2021. The company fell short of the goal by .25 but it still impressive progress of a 43% reduction. The strides made across the health and safety of SMI operations is admirable and will continue to improve safety metrics in future years and in part, with help from the newly implemented tracking system and additional safety initiatives.