SECTION 3. REPORTING SAFETY CONCERNS

DEFINITIONS

Hazard - a condition or changing set of circumstances that presents a potential for injury, illness, or property damage; the potential or inherent characteristics of an activity, condition, or circumstance which can produce adverse or harmful consequences.

Imminent danger - an impending or threatening situation that is dangerous and could be expected to cause death, serious injury, and/or property damage in the immediate future unless corrective measures are taken.

Unsafe act - a behavioral departure from an accepted, normal, or correct procedure or practice which, in the past, has produced injury or property damage or which has potential for doing so in the future; an unnecessary exposure to a hazard; conduct reducing the degree or safety normally present in an activity.

Unsafe condition - any physical state which deviates from that which is acceptable, normal, or correct in terms of its past production or property; any physical state which results in a reduction in the degree of safety normally present.

3.1 RESPONSIBILITY

All employees are expected to report any work-related safety concern, hazard, unsafe condition, or act whether or not in their area of work.

Any hazardous unsafe condition, or act that presents a situation of imminent danger to life and/or property requires urgent action. Any employee who observes such a situation must immediately notify the Site Operations Manager or Site Safety Officer, who have the responsibility and authority to correct the situation. Any operation, activity, condition, or act of this nature will be immediately stopped and/or corrected, even if on a temporary basis.

Where imminent danger is not a factor, employees should file a Problem Report. All concerns, hazards, unsafe conditions, or acts reported will be reviewed as soon as practical and corrected or acted upon in a timely manner. All reports will be updated in the database and the requester notified of the action taken.

The Site Safety Officer shall assess and prioritize all reported hazards and ensure implementation of appropriate corrective measures as soon as possible. Priorities will be determined by the relative seriousness and other factors, such as planning and funding. When appropriate, temporary corrective measures will be implemented until the final correction is made.

Corrective measures that cannot be implemented within budget will be forwarded to the Site Operations Manager, along with recommendations and cost estimates. The Site Operations Manager will review the recommendations and cost estimates and, when necessary, will develop a plan of action.

The problem-reporting database will be used to maintain documentation of all reports and the action taken. In the event of a disagreement as to the action taken, the Site Director will resolve the matter.