Boulogne-Billancourt, May 3, 2012 – Vallourec, a world leader in premium tubular solutions, will be mobilizing today, on all its sites throughout the world, its 22,000 employees around the theme of security. The Safety Day provides the opportunity to remind the crucial role that safety plays in Vallourec company culture.
Because safety in the workplace is considered to be not only a prime expression of the Group's values but also the key to operational excellence, it has been established as a number one priority for all staff. An ambitious action plan called CAPTEN Safe has been implemented since 2008 to place Vallourec amongst the best groups in the world in this field. This plan was continued in 2011 by a second three-year plan called CAPTEN+ Safe.
Through active involvement of all levels of the management teams, and thanks to a structured method and training program, as well as the contribution of all the personnel via Continuous Improvement Teams and regular safety visits, the number of occupational accidents has fallen by 70% between 2008 and 2011 and the lost time injury rate (LTIR1) has dropped from 9 to 2.7.
On Safety Day, staff at all the Vallourec sites around the world gather together to devote their time to safety. Workshops are organized to raise awareness of professional and domestic risks, and a "Safety Award" is attributed to the team that has led the most valuable project and action in this area. As in previous years, Vallourec Executive Committee members are present alongside the teams and show support for this major Group event.
"We have made huge progress in terms of safety and in the space of three years we have managed to divide the number of accidents by three, beyond the target that we had set ourselves. Every year, this Group-wide annual Safety Day exists to remind us that safety must remain our number-one priority. The goal of ensuring an even safer working environment for all our staff, throughout the world, must drive us to further strengthen our actions to establish the reputation and high level of performance we aspire to", declared Philippe Crouzet, Chairman of the Vallourec Management Board.
The safety approach is part of the Group's overall social responsibility policy, according to its new Sustainable Development Charter.
1 LTIR (Lost time injury rate): number of accidents requiring time off work per million hours worked
