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closeHealth, Safety and Environmental Management
The Group has a health, safety and environmental (“HSE”) policy which set out the Group’s vision, aim, commitment and operating principles with respect to HSE. The Group’s commitment is to:
- Give due regard to the effects of its operations on the environment and community to create a sustainable business.
- Provide and maintain a safe and healthy work environment for employees, contractors and visitors.
- Require each Smith & Nephew business to achieve HSE standards specified by the policy.
- Seek to improve HSE performance through continuous evaluation and development of measures to control risk, conserve resources and minimise waste.
- Recognise, promote and reinforce the responsibility of employees, contractors and visitors to work safely and follow procedures.
In 2006 the advanced wound management factory in Hull, England and the orthopaedics sites in Memphis, Tennessee and Tuttlingen, Germany maintained accreditation of their environmental management systems under IS014001. All Group manufacturing and research sites have designed environmental management systems to deliver cost savings and benefits to the environment. Manufacturing processes are relatively low in environmental impact. Particular emphasis is placed on close control of energy, water consumption and waste in manufacturing and research and development. Improvement targets are set and performance is measured against these targets. Smith & Nephew’s key environmental measurements over the last five years are as follows:
| 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | |
| Emissions to air VOCs (tonnes) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 20 |
| Emissions to air carbon dioxide (tonnes) | 50,359 | 50,212 | 48,954 | 50,160 | 47,888 |
| Waste (tonnes) | 4,759 | 4,685 | 3,596 | 4,054 | 3,774 |
| Hazardous waste (tonnes) | 256 | 303 | 234 | 275 | 270 |
| Waste recycled (tonnes) | 1,189 | 1,009 | 767 | 646 | 750 |
| Total energy (GwH) | 138 | 139 | 132 | 145 | 137 |
| Water usage (1,000 cu. Metres) | 562 | 480 | 427 | 457 | 433 |
| Discharges/effluent (1,000 cu. Metres) | 485 | 400 | 384 | 399 | 386 |
| Lost time accidents (ii) | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 1.4 |
| Lost time ill health (iii) | 1.2 | 1.8 | 5.6 | 1.9 | 10.1 |
(i) Totals are for the Group as a whole for the year and therefore include divested businesses.
(ii) Number of accidents (resulting in a person being unable to work the following day) per 200,000 hours worked.
(iii) Number of cases of occupational ill health (resulting in a day or more away from work) per 1,000 people employed.
The 2004 hazardous waste figure excludes a spillage of chrome plating materials which occurred at the manufacturing site in Memphis. Working closely with the state authorities, prompt action was taken resulting in a total of 920 tonnes of affected soil being removed from the site to eliminate any possible contamination.
Carbon dioxide emissions are calculated from the energy consumption and are dependent on the mix of energy used. Emission rose in 2005. As a result of that mix, emissions rose in 2006 despite a slight fall in total energy consumption.
The rise in non-hazardous waste arose from the introduction, validation and optimising of new processes at the advanced wound management factory in Hull, England.
The fall in hazardous waste was largely the result of a change in the classification of FLAMAZINE burn treatment production waste at Hull, England from hazardous to non-hazardous.
Advanced Wound Management and the Orthopaedics businesses continued to focus on the opportunities to recycle waste leading to a significant increase in 2006.
The increase in water consumption in 2006 arises from increased manufacturing output at Memphis, Tennessee.
The Group continues to show a year on year improvement in its lost time accident and occupational ill health performance.
A full analysis of these measurements and key health and safety performance measures will be included in the 2007 Sustainability Report on the Group’s website.