In 2007, we began to implement a new, combined environmental, health and safety (EHS) management system. This system is designed to streamline and standardize our existing, separate environmental and safety management systems and compliance programs, incorporating their strengths and attributes to enhance performance.

We report our safety performance in this section rather than with environmental performance because it is a key issue for our people. We think it is more useful for the report to reflect who is affected rather than how we manage issues internally. We summarise the EHS management system’s common elements in the About Kimberly-Clark section of the report.

Our Safety and Loss Control management system provides our businesses and employees with the knowledge they need to carry out their work safely. It includes a comprehensive Safety Leadership Training program completed by all team leaders. We are assessing performance at each facility using our EHS Management System Assessment process.

As a part of the EHS Management System, we have developed safety operational control standards for activities such as lifting operations and workplace transport. These standards will provide minimum performance requirements and help to reduce or eliminate safety and health hazards. Facilities are assessed against these standards during EHS Management System assessments. Any shortfall identified is used to develop facility-specific EHS improvement plans.