FOSTERING SAFETY

Being safe, ethical and responsible in all business activities worldwide


Safety is one of FMC’s top values. If we do not strive to protect the safety of our employees, customers and surrounding communities, all of the other positive things we do will not matter. We conduct business in a manner that is protective of public and occupational health, employee and customer safety, and the environment.

FMC’s safety practices cover how we source materials, how we manufacture our products, and the responsible stewardship of those products once they are distributed and utilized worldwide. It’s a safety continuum that flows from inside our company to the end user.

We provide technical and safety information as well as training to those who handle our products. We maintain call centers, informational websites and emergency hotlines that are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When we learn of product misuse, we take the appropriate corrective action.

FMC employees know that we will not do something if it cannot be done safely. If necessary, we will shut down an operation until the appropriate safety measures are in place.

FMC’s Culture Of Safety

To reach our goal of zero injuries, we depend on our employees. Everyone, no matter what their role in the organization, needs to be fully engaged in reinforcing our safety culture.

FMC’s actions are structured around five major, interrelated elements:

  1. Hearts and Minds Always on Safety: This safety communications initiative provides FMC employees worldwide with a variety of relevant tools, techniques and resources to help build and maintain safety awareness and expertise.
  2. Designing and Operating Safe Workplaces: This program aims to improve safety in both the physical design of the workplace and employee activities. At new and existing plants, labs and offices, we formalize risk assessments, occupational safety reviews, ergonomics training and design, and other essential processes.
  3. Safety Training and Development: We are continually expanding a worldwide group of safety leaders through our targeted training and development initiatives that address the specific safety challenges facing each business unit. Our entire Executive Committee and over 1,400 managers and frontline supervisors have completed FMC’s Safety Leadership Training Program.
  4. Auditing and Reviews: All FMC facilities conduct periodic safety, health and security audits. Audits and reviews are integrated into a single assessment ensuring consistency across the company.
  5. Crisis Management: To ensure a properly functioning crisis management process wherever we operate, we continually update our Crisis Management Plan, conduct ongoing crisis exercises during the year, and work to ensure that local and regional crisis management plans integrate well with our overall corporate plan.

So much more goes into our efforts in this essential area, including active engagement with industry peers to foster a shared commitment to safety. To learn more, please read our 2011 Sustainability Report.