5. Safety success factors

Some companies (major oil companies, DuPont, Dow...) have frequency rates below 0.5. Here, lost-time accidents become the exception, and these leading companies can, for example, count their annual accidents on the fingers of one hand for the whole of Europe.

These excellent results are not due to chance, but are the fruit of a proactive safety policy and extensive programs implemented over many years. DuPont, for example, launched its safety policy some 100 years ago, following dramatic explosions at the company. All these actions are backed up by a clear commitment on the part of management at the highest level.

All these companies, whose objectives include generating shareholder-pleasing profitability, have given priority to safety because they understand the various benefits that can be derived from it, as detailed above.