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Health and safety
HSBC places the highest priority on the health and safety of its key asset, our employees. As such, risk control and the active maintenance of appropriate health and safety standards throughout HSBC remains a primary responsibility for all managers.
Corporate Real Estate - Health, Safety and Fire set policies and procedures for implementation by functional representatives in each country in which HSBC operates. A Safety Management System provides the operating framework and an annual review process a springboard to continual improvement in health and safety standards overall.
Accident reporting and reduction targets
Accidents are recorded, reported and investigated at a local level in each country with serious incidents reported to Corporate Real Estate – Health, Safety and Fire, Our accident procedures encompass the key requirements of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Code of Practice.
A 28 % reduction in serious accidents has been realised across the Group due in part to greater health and safety awareness and the effects of the 2005 revision of HSFC’s procedures.
The UK statistics reflect this downward trend and the 2006 incidence figure is 26% down on the 2001 baseline.
Workplace fatalities and accidents
| 2006 |
2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2001 Baseline | |
| Number of workplace fatalities (worldwide) | 0 | 1* | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| Accidents involving more than three days' absence (worldwide) | 274 | 381 | 356 | 386 | n/a |
| Reportable injuries per 100,000 employees (UK only) | 152 | 162 | 151 | 186 | 205 |
| Working days lost from work-related injury per 100,000 employees (UK only) | 2,572 | 3,249 | 1,839 | n/a | n/a |
*One of our contractors died while working on a construction project in Hong Kong. We deeply regret this loss of life.
Note: Previous results, including the baselines and targets, were revised in 2004 to reflect improvements in the provision of human resource information. Statistics exclude fatalities or injuries related to terrorism.
For further information on Health and Safety please see the Health and Safety in HSBC UK Operations Annual Report 2006 (5 page pdf, 41k)
Avian Flu
An avian flu pandemic Group Response Plan was endorsed by the Group Management Board in late 2005. Consequently, all country managers were instructed to start the local planning process in accordance with contingency planning guidelines for avian flu to ensure that HSBC Group is well prepared if a pandemic strikes. In planning we are assuming a worst-case scenario of 50 per cent of our workforce at any one time being unable to perform their roles, because of sickness, caring for family members or transport disruption.
2007 Sustainability Report
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