2004 Safety Performance

The safety performance of Syncrude and its contractors continues to lead Alberta industry. Syncrude employees and contractors sustained a total of 17 lost-time injuries in 2004, up from 14 in 2003. For 2004, the combined lost-time injury frequency of 0.11 per hundred person years worked was considerably lower than the Alberta average. As well, the severity of injuries sustained on the Syncrude site, which resulted in an average of 1.98 lost workdays per injury, was well below the Alberta average of 82 days. Our contractors worked the equivalent of more than 23 million hours on Syncrude sites in 2004, including the equivalent of about 17 million hours on construction activities. Syncrude’s total recordable injury frequency for the year was 1.11 per hundred person years worked. Recordable injuries are comprised of medical aid incidents plus lost time injuries.

Syncrude and our contractors have improved our excellent safety record despite a large increase in equivalent work hours expended on company sites.

Health and Safety Performance

Making Safety Pay: WCB Agreement Reflects Syncrude and Contractor Record

A unique program among Syncrude, selected contractors and the Workers Compensation Board has proven to be an effective safety incentive. The program fosters better safety performance at Syncrude by linking WCB premiums with actual compensation costs for work done on the Syncrude site. What makes the agreement unique is that contractors can voluntarily participate with no downside risk; 28 are currently doing so. During a given year, if claims costs are lower than the premiums paid, the difference is refunded to Syncrude and then shared with participating contractors based on the contractors’ individual safety performance for work done on the Syncrude site. In the seven years since the program’s inception we have shared about $4.5 million in program rewards.

Health Centres Supplement Community Health Resources

Syncrude’s on-site health centres, which provide a comprehensive suite of health and medical services to all employees and contractor personnel, are not only a convenient way for workers to have their health and medical needs attended to, they also ease strain on public health services available in the Wood Buffalo region. The Health Centres recorded more than 37,000 patient visits in 2004, a near doubling versus 2003, which was the result of a large increase in worksite personnel. Non-occupational illnesses and injuries accounted for 43 per cent of health centre visits; occupational health needs accounted for 42 per cent of visits.

Alcohol and Drug Screening

In an effort to reduce exposure to safety risks on Syncrude work sites, a new standard for alcohol and drug screening was implemented in August. The standard requires all new workers to successfully complete an alcohol and drug screening test prior to the workers’ deployment on site. The standard supports Syncrude’s alcohol and drug policy, which considers workers unsuitable for work if they report with a blood alcohol level in excess of 40 milligrams per hundred millilitres in their system, or if their system shows detectable levels of any contraband drug.

Sniffer dogs also are periodically employed to execute searches of company property such as locker rooms, vehicles, lunchrooms, offices and work areas. The dogs are seeking drugs, explosives or any other materials that could pose a threat to employees or the workplace. Syncrude’s alcohol and drug policy expressly prohibits the distribution, possession or consumption of alcohol or drugs on our premises or in any Syncrude vehicles or equipment.

Oil Sands Safety Association

The Oil Sands Safety Association, which was established by Syncrude, Suncor and Albian Sands in 2003, has won a 2004 Award of Merit for Innovation in Alberta Workplace Health and Safety. The Award recognizes the Association’s leadership and innovation in developing common industry safety training standards. In 2004, the Association developed and approved three new safety training standards as well as a common Regional Code of Practice governing how Confined Space Entries will be managed on oil sands sites. During the year, the Association also accredited 14 training providers who will deliver fall protection training to Association standards.

Emergency Preparedness

Twenty-four firefighters from Syncrude and other partners in the Wood Buffalo region’s mutual aid agreement are now certified dangerous goods technicians, thanks to specialized training they received in 2004. The training gives the firefighters the ability to assess, manage and defuse situations involving hazardous materials, and reflects the fact that such materials frequently travel through the Wood Buffalo area en route to oil sands sites. The training was one in a series of steps taken in 2004 to provide a comprehensive hazardous materials emergency response plan for the region.

Syncrude emergency preparedness also includes regular participation by our emergency response personnel in training exercises that ensure readiness for any kind of emergency situation. These include simulations and competitive events such as the Firefighters and Mine Rescue Competitions.

Controlling Occupational Hazards Through Industrial Hygiene

Syncrude complies with occupational health and safety regulations in part through its Industrial Hygiene activities. These are designed to anticipate, recognize, evaluate and control workplace factors that may cause sickness, impaired health and well-being or significant discomfort among workers or community residents. In 2004, our Industrial Hygiene group responded to 150 service requests, and completed health hazard assessments in the Extraction and Research departments. Ergonomics and potential chemical hazards emerged as areas of concern. Toward ameliorating ergonomics issues, Industrial Hygiene worked to adjust the layouts of computer workstations, proposed new material handling procedures and tool designs, and initiated a study of seats in heavy equipment. To address potential chemical hazards, two new and two revised Codes of Practice for handling of hazardous chemicals were prepared for review and implementation.