What is a management system, and why is it important for Teck?
At Teck, we share a vision of everyone going home safe and healthy every day. This commitment extends not only to our people, but also to our communities and environment.
Our Health, Safety, Environment and Community (HSEC) Management System gives structure to how we apply our vision, through activities like identifying and managing risks, reporting and investigating incidents, and monitoring and improving our HSEC performance.
Collectively, our HSEC processes, activities, and tools come together to form one HSEC management system. The better our HSEC Management System performs, the more we succeed in keeping our people, communities and the environment safe and healthy.
What are we doing about a management system at Teck?
Teck has elements of a Management System, although work is required to align, embed, and interconnect these parts so they function together as an efficient whole. We are looking for ways to reduce duplication, save costs (including time) and to meet the sustainability aspirations that we have set.
Management systems follow a cycle: plan (e.g., setting targets), do (e.g., working), check (e.g., monitoring and reporting) and act (e.g., closing gaps).
What is changing?
To deliver on these objectives, a series of HSEC Management System improvement initiatives covering our HSEC standards, risk management, sustainability goals, HSEC technology and HSEC assurance have been identified for delivery, starting in 2021:
- Sustainability Goals: To ensure we achieve our sustainability goals, the HSEC Management System will incorporate relevant actions into the plan, do, check and act cycle. While plans already exists to progress toward these goals, incorporating them into a management system ensures that coordinated action takes place across Teck, and that opportunities of the highest value can be progressed.
- HSEC Risk Improvement: Consistent application of the Teck Risk Management Process Guidance will facilitate the identification, reporting and management of HSEC risk throughout all levels of our organization, while providing a clearer picture of HSEC risks—from the front line to the boardroom.
- IsoMetrix: HSEC data is currently managed using a suite of software applications such as SiteLine, StreamLine and TrackLine. IsoMetrix will ultimately replace these aging legacy software applications. Functionality in IsoMetrix includes risk management, management of change, incident and injury management, inspections and audit, compliance and stakeholder management. Tracking HSEC information within a single platform reduces complexity for users and allows improved trending, recognition of problematic patterns and ultimately better and timelier responses.
- HSEC Standards: A comprehensive review and update of Teck’s HSEC Standards was last undertaken in 2012. Since then, sustainability performance expectations generated by external industry memberships, investors and society have evolved. By revising the HSEC Standards to incorporate external requirements like TSM, operations will have clarity on the mandatory performance requirements required to mitigate risk. As such, the Teck HSEC Standards will be updated to incorporate Teck mandatory requirements, which will reduce reporting requirements for sites and other corporate functions, deliver consistent guidance to site practitioners and enable the opportunity for integrated assurance.
- HSEC Assurance: Assurance activities form critical governance across the HSEC management system. However, the volume of assurance activities can be a burden on operations and functions. By reviewing our HSEC Standards to reflect industry requirements and expectations, Teck can leverage equivalency across external industry commitments, and implement risk-based, effective and more efficient assurance processes.
Next Steps?
The HSEC management system team will continue to work collaboratively with the sites and subject matter experts to advance the improvements.
For more information about HSEC Management at Teck, contact Ivan Budd, Director HSEC Systems and Risk or Tracey Jacquemin, Manager, HSEC Management Systems.
