Health, Safety, and Environment
Somerville has a deeply embedded commitment to health and safety that informs every project and all the work that we do. Our corporate health and safety policies are not 'set and forget'. Every project and every job results in refinements and revisions to ensure that all work is conducted in a manner that promotes safe, healthy, and environmentally friendly working conditions.
Safety Qualifications
Somerville staff and field auditors have the qualifications to complete health and safety training internally. Not only does this allow us to ensure that all workers have the proper training, it creates more efficient planning and operations for both Somerville and Somerville's project partners.
Train The Trainer Program
To create safer and more efficient work environments, Somerville is deeply invested in Train The Trainer programs. Internally, we appreciate the peace of mind and assurance that comes from knowing our staff not only receive excellent health and safety training, but are also qualified to provide the top-notch training. We take pride in knowing, for example, that of the three certified trainers for ground disturbance in Ontario, one of them is in-house at Somerville.
For our project partners, this level of in-house health and safety means a guarantee that Somerville will always deliver the a compliant, certified, and safe project, staffed by workers who adhere to sterling health and safety requirements. It also means that Somerville is poised to plan, mobilize, and execute every project with the utmost efficiency without comprising health or safety standards.
Somerville is committed to environmental responsibility. Our environmental policy signed by our President and implemented into every facet of our day-to-day operations, reflects the commitments to minimize the impact of our activities on the natural environment and local communities, and to adhere to all environmental regulations present in every province or region we work in.
Somerville takes its commitment to the environment seriously, and at all levels of the company. Our management team ensures that all employees receive training; supervisors ensure that employees work according to environmental standards; and workers are responsible for conducting all activities in a manner that follows all environmental regulations and policies.
Simply having an environmental policy is not enough; we must demonstrate an ongoing commitment through constant monitoring and improvement of our performance against set environmental objectives and targets. To ensure the successful implementation of and adherence to our environmental policy, Somerville uses an Environmental Management System (EMS). Our standards are aligned with ISO 14000. These standards include:
- Using environmental audits to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations
- Conducting regular monitoring of environmental aspects such as water quality, air quality, noise, site development, hazardous substances and spill incidents
- Ongoing development and promotion of environmental standards applicable to day-to-day operations that impact the environment
- Training all employees on their specific work functions to ensure environmental competence
- Communicating environmental policy, roles, responsibilities, objectives and targets to all staff
- Making workers responsible for conducting their activities in a manner that ensures all company and legislative and environmental regulations and policies are followed.
Robert B. Somerville also demonstrates its commitment to environmental responsibility by providing infrastructure solutions for several forms of renewable and sustainable energy. With services ranging from project planning and engineering to asset construction and maintenance, Somerville has helped to build infrastructure for wind, solar, geothermal and district energy projects. We are proud to be part of the building of safe, reliable and environmentally responsible energy projects in Canadian communities.
About the Program
In 2006, Robert B. Somerville activated the Target Zero campaign to further educate and help support an injury free workplace. The program sets an ambitious goal of zero recordable incidents, zero preventable motor vehicle accidents, zero environmental spills, zero serious injuries & fatalities, because when it comes to hurting our employees, subcontractors, clients, general public, and the environment in which we work there is no acceptable number.
Continuous Improvement of Our Safety Performance
On a continuous basis senior management reviews the weekly incident statistics report along with Incident Investigations, Action Cards, Near Miss reports and Task Analysis Safety Cards. Collectively they decide how to implement the controls for the incident trends and concerns into the corporate safety program as well as Job Hazard Analyses and Safe Operating Procedures.› All relevant learnings as a result of past incidents and near misses internal to Robert B. Somerville as well as external to the company are communicated company-wide to all workers. This aids in the successful execution of the Target Zero Campaign