Safety

Strong Safety Culture

AMI Meter Installation #2 2-7-19

We are relentlessly focused on achieving an Emera where no one gets hurt.

We’re committed to fostering a safety culture where our team members are personally responsible for their own safety and the safety of others.

Our employees are empowered to speak up and take action when they see potentially unsafe conditions or behaviours. We continuously reinforce our preventative approach to safety and strongly encourage proactive safety reporting of issues before they can result in injury or loss.

Comprehensive Safety Governance

Our safety governance systems and processes are a significant part of our robust safety program.

Within each of Emera’s operating companies, senior leaders are responsible for the overall safe operation of their facilities and for ensuring their businesses have an effective Safety Management System (SMS). Our team members and contractors operate under safety and health policies and programs that are implemented at the local level.

All Emera companies require:

  • safety on-boarding for new employees and safety orientation training for contract employees before commencing work at Emera’s facilities;
  • safety teams dedicated to managing safety performance and operational risk, with a director or senior leader who reports into the local executive team; and,
  • joint worker-management health and safety committees. Also, where there are formal agreements in place with trade unions, these agreements include safety and health requirements.

Public Safety

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Our focus on safety starts with our team and extends to our customers and the communities where we live and work.

We offer safety education sessions in local schools and advanced training sessions to first responders. Our natural gas teams promote Call Before You Dig initiatives to ensure safety in and around buried pipelines. Our electrical utilities share information with customers each year on how to prepare for and stay safe during annual hurricane or winter storm seasons.

We also work to reduce public safety risk near our operations and work sites. This can include security and safety barriers around our facilities, traffic management near active job sites, visible signage along pipeline and transmission routes, and public notification around vegetation management including trimming and spraying. When required, we also provide notification to mariners for any subsea work.

Contractor Safety

Contractors support us in many key areas and are valued partners on teams across Emera. As with all of our team members, their safety is critically important to us. Our contractor safety management procedures include a robust process for assessing potential service providers. Before they are hired, we complete a comprehensive review of their safety programs, leadership and performance. This rigour extends to contractor training requirements and close monitoring of work sites from the start of a project until it is safely completed.