Case study: How SMPC promotes occupational health and safety
Semirara Mining and Power Corporation (SMPC) is a leading vertically integrated power generation company in the Philippines and the only power producer in the country that owns and mines its own fuel source. SMPC seeks to protect the safety and health of all its employees and contractors Tweet This!, as well as keep them free from injury during and after their daily work shifts.
This case study is based on the 2019 Annual and Sustainability Report by SMPC published on the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Disclosure Database that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate what CSR/ ESG/ sustainability reporting done responsibly means. Essentially, it means: a) identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment, economy and society, and b) measuring, managing and changing.
Abstract
SMPC believes that a safe and healthy workplace leads to increased productivity and sustained stakeholder support. In order to promote occupational health and safety SMPC took action to:
- conduct risk assessments
- provide medical services
- promote employee wellness
- provide health and safety training
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With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) SMPC has identified;
- How SMPC proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by SMPC to promote occupational health and safety
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What are the material issues the company has identified?
In its 2019 Annual and Sustainability Report SMPC identified a range of material issues, such as economic performance, effluents and waste, socio-economic compliance, labour-management relations. Among these, promoting occupational health and safety stands out as a key material issue for SMPC.
Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:
Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.
Key stakeholder groups SMPC engages with:
| Stakeholder Group | Method of engagement |
| Employees
| · Safety Committee meetings · Integrated Management System (IMS) meetings · Multi-partite Monitoring Team (MMT) · Integrity hotline and whistleblowing · Focus group discussions (FGDs), consultations · Toolbox meetings, town halls · Impact assessment and studies · Information, Education, and Communication campaigns (IEC) · Internal communication (Postman email and text blast) |
| Suppliers, contractors, and business partners | · Safety Committee meetings · Integrity hotline and whistleblowing · Focus group discussions (FGDs), consultations · Toolbox meetings, town halls · Site visits, tours, and inspections |
| Regulators and government agencies
| · Multi-partite Monitoring Team (MMT) · Integrity hotline and whistleblowing · Focus group discussions (FGDs), consultations · Impact assessment and studies · Site visits, tours, and inspections · Consultations, meetings |
| Local government units (LGUs)
| · Multi-partite Monitoring Team (MMT) · Integrity hotline and whistleblowing · Focus group discussions (FGDs), consultations · Impact assessment and studies · Site visits, tours, and inspections · Consultations, meetings · Information, Education, and Communication campaigns (IEC) |
| Customers
| · Integrity hotline and whistleblowing · Focus group discussions (FGDs), consultations · Site visits, tours, and inspections |
| Investors and shareholders
| · Integrity hotline and whistleblowing · Investor briefings, conferences · Annual Shareholders’ Meeting (ASM) |
| Host communities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
| · Multi-partite Monitoring Team (MMT) · Integrity hotline and whistleblowing · Focus group discussions (FGDs), consultations · Impact assessment and studies · Site visits, tours, and inspections · Consultations, meetings · Information, Education, and Communication campaigns (IEC) |
How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues
To identify and prioritise material topics SMPC conducted workshops with its different stakeholder groups.
What actions were taken by SMPC to promote occupational health and safety?
In its 2019 Annual and Sustainability Report SMPC reports that it took the following actions for promoting occupational health and safety:
- Conducting risk assessments
- SMPC’s Occupational Health (OH) teams conduct a regular risk assessment of the health and associated risks of SMPC’s mining and power operations and activities to its employees, host communities and other key stakeholders. Hazards such as chemicals, fumes, dust, and noise pollution have been identified as hazardous to the health of SMPC’s As such, SMPC enforced mitigation measures and controls such as a dust suppression system, fume hood, work schedule adjustments, and the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE), among others. SMPC also conducts spirometry and audiometry tests for employees at risk of pulmonary problems and hearing loss, respectively.
- Providing medical services
- Essential medical services are available to SMPC’s employees at its on-site clinic and infirmary. SMPC’s licensed health practitioners include physicians, nurses, dentists, medical technologists, radiologic technologists, and midwives. They possess the necessary qualifications and accreditations, and they comply with the legal requirements and recognised standards and guidelines for medical professionals. Licensed health service providers and emergency transport vehicles are available 24/7. First aid training is also conducted per work group to provide immediate and appropriate responses in case of injuries and emergencies. SMPC has installed emergency facilities such as first aid kits, showers, and eyewashes in strategic locations across its sites of operation.
- Promoting employee wellness
- SMPC provides its regular employees with a Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) coverage, free medical consultations, annual physical examinations, and life and accident insurance, among other health benefits. SMPC also conducts health and wellness activities to promote a healthy lifestyle among its employees.
- Providing health and safety training
- SMPC’s health and safety training is geared towards relevance to the work responsibilities of its employees and their degree of exposure to certain risks and hazards. Through proper training and follow-up mechanisms, SMPC can equip its employees and contractors with the right knowledge on how to assess and manage relevant workplace hazards. Failure to do so may lead to increased occurrence of incidents in the workplace which, in turn, can stifle employee morale and productivity. By properly managing and implementing health and safety trainings, SMPC seeks to develop and maintain healthy workers that can handle their jobs safely, for the benefit of the organisation and all stakeholders.
Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?
The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:
1) Disclosure 403-3 Occupational health services
3) Disclosure 403-5 Worker training on occupational health and safety
4) Disclosure 403-6 Promotion of worker health
Disclosure 403-3 Occupational health services corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Targets: 8.8
Disclosure 403-4 Worker participation, consultation, and communication on occupational health and safety corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Targets: 8.8
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
- Targets: 16.7
Disclosure 403-5 Worker training on occupational health and safety corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Targets: 8.8
Disclosure 403-6 Promotion of worker health corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
- Targets: 3.7, 3.8
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References:
1) This case study is based on published information by SMPC, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:
http://database.globalreporting.org/
2) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
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