Environmental Training Program Plays
Important Role in Environmental Performance
Leaders at the Port Kembla Steelworks were given the challenge of building the awareness of the environment among the multicultural workforce and contractors engaged in carrying out work on the Company's behalf.
The program needed to be flexible in content and delivery. It had to be relevant to all of the workforce both at Port Kembla and in other BlueScope Steel businesses.
Geographically, BlueScope Steel’s footprint spans many countries, with many cultural and language differences.
As a result, a one-day environmental training program was developed and launched. Within the first two years, some 2,500 employees were trained and by 2007, nearly 3,000 employees participated in the program. Nearly 80% of contractors working on the Port Kembla site and at BlueScope Steel’s Service Centres at Port Kembla and Western Sydney have also been trained.
The program gives an honest appraisal of the environmental effects of the steel industry, with a focus on involvement, motivation and engagement.
Aim of BlueScope Steel’s Environmental Training Program
- Have an awareness of plant-specific environmental issues
- Have increased knowledge of BlueScope Steel’s environmental impacts and its Environmental Management System
- Be motivated to take ownership of environmental issues
- Understand why caring for the environment is important
The day’s training includes a field trip that follows BlueScope Steel’s drainage system downstream to a public waterway. Employees actively audit the Company’s controls to check there is no effect on the public waterway.
Surveys at the BlueScope Steel site at Port Kembla and the new Western Sydney Service Centre show promising results from the training:
- An increase in environmental incident reporting and auditing
- 25% positive move in attitude around the environment
The training program plays an important role in continual improvement in BlueScope Steel’s environmental performance.
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