Our Commitment to SHEQ

Safety: priority no.1, always and everywhere

Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) are hardwired throughout The Linde Group. Every person within The Linde Group assumes responsibility for their actions. Our SHEQ policies shape the way we behave and every decision we make.

SHEQ Management Systems

Managing Safety, Health, Environment and Quality concerns in a holistic way across the entire Linde Group

Our management system is a comprehensive framework of policies, tools, audits and processes that governs all of our activities in all areas. It incorporates legislative requirements and Group policies as well as international standards such as IS0 9001, 14001 and ISO 22000

• SHEQ Roadmap
  Our “LeadIng. in SHEQ” programme is designed to push SHEQ performance and awareness across The Linde Group worldwide. In 2009, we introduced a new method of evaluating our progress in this area - the SHEQ Roadmap. This strategic tool defines the twentyone key milestones on the road to world-class SHEQ performance.


• LeadSafe & ActSafe: Visible leadership + Behaviour
  LeadSafe & ActSafe behavioural assessments provide forums for discussing safety issues. They focus on how people behave in real work situations and encourage participants to discuss the consequences of their actions, change their behaviour and reach mutual consensus. LeadSafe encourages managers to display visible leadership by promoting safety and showing concern for the health and the safety of others.


• Safety Toolbox meetings
  Safety toolbox meetings provide regular forums for teams to discuss, address and raise safety issues. They are organised at least once a month and involve all team members.


• Contractor Management
  Our high safety standards also apply to contractors working on behalf of Linde. We apply a series of internal standards across the Group to closely coordinate contractors and ensure compliance with our SHEQ Policy.


• External transport contractors
  Transport is a particularly safety-critical area. We have our own internal standards governing key safety measures which we implement rigorously across the Group to reduce the frequency of transport incidents. Contractors are selected by measuring their performance against a set of key performance indicators. The results of these audits are submitted to the steering committee in an annual SHEQ Review.


• Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP, gevarenanalyse en kritische controlepunten)
  Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point is a systematic approach aimed at identifying and preventing risks in food safety. It comprises seven principles that establish a framework for identifying and eliminating potential hazards at all stages of food production, preparation and distribution. The system focuses on prevention rather than end product inspection. Linde has implemented and regularly updates its HACCP operational and infrastructural programmes in line with European requirements. Analyses are performed in collaboration with specialists and skilled technicians from each field. Linde’s HACCP strategy is reassessed and updated at least once a year during the Group’s annual food and beverages review.


• Hazard & Operability Study (HAZOP)
  A HAZOP study is the structured, systematic evaluation of existing or planned processes and operations. It assesses the potential dangers and operational issues which may arise from hazards. We use HAZOP studies to re-examine safety and operability specifications for installations and to ensure that these specifications provide secure and economic operational conditions that conform to legal and contractual requirements.


• HSE (Health, safety, Environment) Monitoring
  To prevent and eliminate hazards, we constantly have to widen our knowledge base and keep up to speed on the risks inherent in our business. We deploy a range of methods to identify and prevent potential dangers, including: - Ongoing hazard assessments studies, risk analyses (HAZOP) - External and internal audits, including evacuation exercises for sites subject to SEVESO industrial safety regulations - Feedback following incidents
  


• Major Hazard Review Programme (MHRP)
  Risks that our plants might pose to employees and any neighbouring companies or people living in the vicinity must be systematically identified and evaluated and mitigated. We have rolled out a management system, the Major Hazards Review Programme (MHRP), across the entire Group for this purpose. Its objectives include identifying maximum potential hazards and managing them effectively as well as measuring risks on a uniform basis for all locations and introducing controls that minimise these risks as far as possible.


• Training
  We are committed to raising awareness and promoting responsible behaviour among all of our people. We have developed dedicated training modules for this purpose within the framework of our SHEQ policy. Our training opportunities for employees cover a wide range of issues including LeadSafe assessments, working at height, electricity accreditations, prevention plans, work permits, safety driving and stress management. We also hold safety training sessions for customers.


• Audits
  Regular audits verify and document our SHEQ performance. They relate to all elements of our business activities such as management systems, process safety, driver and vehicle operation, etc. In addition to audits carried out within the framework of ISO certification and beyond, we also assess our consumption of natural resources. We developed software, for instance, to optimise transport routes and reduce the number of kilometres our vehicles travel each year. Every site in The Linde Group reports its environmental performance. This information is consolidated and published in our Annual Report. We also perform HSE audits and HACCP surveys as well as transport and contractor audits every year at all of our sites. We use the results of these checks to create action plans.


• Traceability
  We have developed an extensive management system that enables us to fully trace all of our. Each product, cylinder or bulk unit is assigned a batch number which enables us to identify the raw materials used in production, the production date and location as well as the customers who purchased the product. All cylinders are equipped with a bar-code for easy traceability


• Customer satisfaction
  We continually strive to improve our performance and raise customer satisfaction levels. To do this, we systematically channel the results of internal and external audits, customer feedback, quality projects, product recalls, accidents and incidents into a range of preventive and corrective measures.


• Life saving rules
  The aim of these rules is to prevent serious injuries and fatalities, and to support the journey towards a LeadIng. SHEQ performance and culture. The life saving rules are based on incidents and experiences in our company and also reflect legal and regulatory requirements that apply in many of the countries in which Linde operates.


• Statistics and LFI
  Linde benchmarks several indicators of SHEQ performance. Lagging ones including incident rates for employees and driving activities, emissions , noise levels, waste disposal, lost time injury rates (LTIR) as well as leading ones, e.g. management involvement, audits, corrective actions and feedback from incidents.
  
  
  • LTI (Lost time Incident Rates)
  • RWI (Recordable Work Injuries)
  • Illness Cases (work related)
  • Audit performance vs. plan
  • Environmental data
  • LFI (Lessons from Incidents)

Caring for the Environment

Not only do we actively seek to minimise the carbon footprint of our own operations worldwide, we also deliver technologies and gases that help you, our customers, minimise – or even eliminate – hazardous emissions

At all of our production and administration sites worldwide, we are constantly looking at ways to minimise the environmental impact of our operations. Within the Gases Division, we track progress in this area by reporting on key environmental indicators. Specific activities include:

• Measures to cut energy consumption
• Reduction of direct and indirect greenhouse gas and other air emissions
• Waste management
• Eco-friendly management of water consumption and wastewater disposal
• Reduction of materials consumption (metal, packaging materials)

Our gases and technologies help you achieve your ecological targets in a number of ways. Not only do we help optimise your processes, we also deliver applications to minimise the direct and indirect environmental impact resulting from the use of our products. Discover examples of applications and solutions that can help you implement your environmental protection policy.