SUPPLIERS SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Overview
In light of the increased importance of suppliers safety, and as part of our continuing effort and commitment to support local content, Saudi Aramco Suppliers Safety project was formed to aid suppliers in managing the safety of their facilities and to execute their daily operations to the highest achievable levels in safety, health, and environmental standards. The initiative started in early 2010 with the first workshops were delivered at the Chamber of Commerce in Al Khobar in October 2010. Saudi Aramco requires its suppliers to consider safety to be a key part of their business strategies and to conduct their business in a manner that prevents safety incidents from impacting our operations, maintenance, and project commissioning activities. Supplier safety continues to be a high profile concern throughout the company but performance over the past several years has not shown an overall improvement, thus the birth of Saudi Aramco Suppliers Safety management System (SSMS).

Why? The cost of accidents, ill health and injuries in the kingdom is enormous.
Thousands of employees die at work every year (estimated 7000 per year; the UK, which has twice the population of Saudi has approximately 500 workplace fatalities each year), and like road safety fatalities (Saudi has the second highest death rate on the road in the world) the death rate in the workplace is unacceptably high. ALL accidents can be prevented. Every single one.

Project Achievements
1. Suppliers Safety Management System (SSMS)
What is SSMS? A safety management system manual designed to help all Saudi Aramco suppliers to develop and improve their safety, health and environment management system. How can it help? Saudi Aramco recognizes the role it can play in helping all its suppliers improve safety, health and environment management and developed this manual to not just ask suppliers to improve their safety systems, but to give them the tools and knowledge that they need to perform this work. Milestones The supplier inspection program was restarted in early 2012 as part of an ongoing program into the future to ensure that suppliers are aware of the requirements of the SSMS. The SSMS manual was formally launched recently with over 1200 attendees at Al Khobar Holiday Inn Hotel.

2. Safety Assessment
Assessment visits to the key suppliers and manufacturers across the Kingdom along with safety consultants to evaluate the existing safety, health and environment system used. These assessment visits clearly show the reality of the safety, health and environment situation and to provide quick advices to encourage suppliers to comply with safety, health and environment standards. During these visits, the suppliers and contractors were requested to fill out a detailed safety assessment questionnaire and a hazardous safety checklist. The responses helped identify the strengths and weaknesses in their safety, health & environmental performances.

Coverage Following these workings with the Chamber of Commerce, Suppliers Safety Project team and selected consultant worked to inspect up to 134 different suppliers and manufacturers in the Eastern, Central and Eastern regions over a period of 4 weeks. Each supplier received a summary report of the visit following the assessment . While some companies had a good SMS in place (generally those with a multinational parent) the general standard of health and safety management was quite poor and a lot of work was required to change attitudes, beliefs and practices.

3. Safety, Health and Environment Workshop

Few workshop sessions were organized for all Saudi Aramcos Suppliers & manufacturers to assist them in understanding the Safety, Health and Environmental standards and requirements. Several departments from Saudi Aramco and specialized international consultants participated in running these workshops, including Industrial Security Operations, Fire Protection, Environmental Protection, Inspection, and consultant help suppliers and manufacturers develop their safety, health and environmental standards.

4. Technical Introduction workshop

Further, Technical Induction workshops were held to explain the requirements of SSMS, its uses and implementation. The workshops was aimed to engage the suppliers on the business benefits for implementing a safety management system and its compliance towards Saudi Aramco safety, health & environmental standards. Safety systems have been proven to increase productivity, improve staff loyalty and reduce injury rates. By ignoring health and safety, companies are taking major risks, risks that just should not be tolerated and ones that have enormous consequences for all businesses in Saudi.

The Future
Saudi Aramco is sharing freely its rich resources and experience that it has applied over the last few decades to manage health and safety. The company has recognized for a long time that staff who feel safe, valued and equipped with the right skills for their job have the confidence and capability to be effective, efficient and productive. This SSMS is the first step on the journey to helping its suppliers manage risk better, avoid unnecessary losses and become more competitive. Saudi Aramco have decided to make compliance to the SSMS a part of their overall Service Level Agreements with suppliers. In the absence of a safety, health and environment regulator in the kingdom,. This is perhaps the most effective way of ensuring that different organizations start to take their health and safety responsibilities more seriously, and this ensure that many lives are saved each year, and countless more are spared from serious injury and harm.