sain t-gobain annu al report 2008 annual report
sain t-gobain annu al report 2008 annual report
sain t-gobain annu al report 2008 annual report
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In the Building Distribution Sector, musculoskelet<strong>al</strong><br />
disorders represent a major he<strong>al</strong>th risk for employees,<br />
given the handling activities their work entails. At Point.P,<br />
<strong>al</strong>l newly hired warehouse employees attend mandatory<br />
training in proper motion and posture. Lapeyre has developed<br />
a video on appropriate handling techniques that is shown<br />
to employees in <strong>al</strong>l Lapeyre stores, and 115 staff members<br />
have undergone training that they will in turn extend<br />
to both new employees and current members of the workforce<br />
on an ongoing basis.<br />
In the Pipe Division, an ergonomist devises solutions<br />
to ergonomics issues specific to the Industri<strong>al</strong> Projects unit.<br />
In addition, two assessment programs – Ergo-Progress<br />
and Ergo-Team – have been developed, the former for new<br />
investments and the latter for correcting shortcomings<br />
at existing sites. Users take part in training sessions lasting<br />
from one to six days. The go<strong>al</strong> is to improve the Division’s<br />
facilities by incorporating ergonomic considerations into<br />
the earliest stages of the design process. These assessment<br />
programs ensure that even the minutest details of every<br />
project are subject to close scrutiny. More than 40 employees,<br />
including project managers, designers and site managers, have<br />
been trained in the use of the programs, and over 50 projects<br />
have benefited from the in-depth focus they provide.<br />
<strong>2008</strong>-2010 OBJECTIVE<br />
The Posture/Lifting/Movement (PLM) ergonomics<br />
process will be implemented at pilot sites in each Division<br />
beginning in 2009.<br />
Preventing biologic<strong>al</strong> hazards<br />
Following an outbreak of legionnaires’ disease in France<br />
in late 2003, and the introduction of new French regulations<br />
in 2004, Saint-Gobain sites in France have moved proactively<br />
to prevent and control risks in this area. All potenti<strong>al</strong>ly affected<br />
Sectors in France have taken the necessary steps to ensure<br />
compliance, including monthly or even weekly monitoring<br />
of water qu<strong>al</strong>ity, frequent cleaning of pipes to prevent<br />
the formation of a biofilm and the commissioning of audits<br />
by qu<strong>al</strong>ified extern<strong>al</strong> inspectors. In addition, many have<br />
organized training in crisis management. A number<br />
of sites have upgraded their facilities to minimize hazards.<br />
For example, dead-leg piping has been eliminated to prevent<br />
the accumulation of standing water and the emergence<br />
of the bacteria responsible for legionnaires’ disease. Although<br />
these stringent regulations currently apply solely to France,<br />
a number of businesses, such as the Innovative Materi<strong>al</strong>s<br />
Sector – Flat Glass, have replicated these practices in other<br />
European countries and beyond.<br />
In response to the increased risk of an avian flu pandemic,<br />
we introduced a series of preventive measures in 2005<br />
that mobilized the EHS and Human resources Departments:<br />
• Gener<strong>al</strong> instructions were issued based on the pandemic<br />
risk sc<strong>al</strong>e published by the World He<strong>al</strong>th Organization.<br />
• The Sectors integrated the risk of a pandemic into<br />
their operation<strong>al</strong> crisis management plans.<br />
The Construction Products Sector, for example, provided<br />
<strong>al</strong>l its sites with an option<strong>al</strong> system to assist them<br />
in ev<strong>al</strong>uating their continuity plans.<br />
Environment<strong>al</strong> issues<br />
THE FRENCH PRESIDENT VISITS<br />
A SAINT-GOBAIN SITE<br />
On November 4, <strong>2008</strong>, France’s President,<br />
Nicolas Sarkozy, visited the Placoplatre® site near Paris,<br />
accompanied by the Minister for Ecology, Energy,<br />
Sustainable Development and Region<strong>al</strong> Development.<br />
After touring the factory’s new plasterboard production<br />
line and training center, the President took part<br />
in a roundtable discussion on implementing<br />
the “Grenelle de l’Environnement,” which lays out<br />
France’s medium-term environment<strong>al</strong> strategy.<br />
Given our strategic position in the habitat and construction<br />
market, we need to deliver a text-book environment<strong>al</strong><br />
performance, which is why we are committed to making<br />
constant progress in this area.<br />
THE SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS SITE IN EGGBOROUGH<br />
RECOGNIZED FOR ITS EMPLOYEES’ CONTRIBUTIONS<br />
TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION<br />
The Eggborough site was named Britain’s eighth<br />
most eco-friendly company in a Sunday Times survey<br />
for <strong>2008</strong>. The factory’s 196 employees can take pride<br />
in the results they achieved in reducing waste and CO 2<br />
emissions, particularly through greater use of recycled<br />
glass in the manufacturing process, an area where<br />
the plant significantly outperforms its competitors<br />
in the flat glass industry.<br />
MANAGEMENT REPORT<br />
53<br />
Saint-Gobain - <strong>2008</strong> Annu<strong>al</strong> Report