Since the start of 2007 Charter has been improving the number and skill levels of EHS managers both centrally and at site level. The aim is to ensure that all main manufacturing and service sites have a full-time EHS professional on-site.
EHS management resources were strengthened further in 2009 with ESAB adding central resources in Sweden and the USA, and reinforcement of operational capabilities through recruits and skills training. The ESAB Director of EHS is now also responsible for Quality, which reflects a belief that these two areas compliment each other as part of corporate responsibility. Howden, in 2009, appointed a full time EHS professional for Africa and also for its Aeolus plant in Brazil. In 2010 Howden will be strengthening its central EHS team.
Going forward we foresee recruitment and training of site-level resources as a key challenge as we seek to engage all employees in developing a safety culture that believes all injuries are preventable.
Annual conferences are held to enable those responsible for the provision of site-level EHS advice and line management guidance to share experience and acquire new skills. In 2009 North American EHS conference was held with representation from all ESAB and Howden sites and Howden ran an EHS conference in Spain for all managers worldwide. In 2010 ESAB and Howden will run EHS Conferences to enable EHS Managers to learn from each other.