Workplace health

Our approach
We take all health issues seriously, whether work-related or not. Our goal is for our employees to be healthy throughout their careers and in retirement.

What we are doing
Throughout Imperial’s eight health centres across the country, our occupational health (OH) professionals – physicians, nurses and industrial hygienists – are well situated to address issues in a timely manner whether it is to provide advice on promoting a safe and healthy workplace or respond to individual health concerns. We also offer support programs and services to help employees prevent, identify and manage personal and workplace illnesses. These programs include:

Tracking potential workplace health risks
We have health surveillance management systems in place that enable us to track current and potential health risks in the workplace and provide support to our workers and business units.

Providing the latest in hearing protection and practices
Our industrial hygiene and safety departments work jointly to identify and reduce noise hazards, provide protective hearing equipment, and give advice on the latest protective practices.

Because industrial hearing loss progresses over a long period of time, with symptoms such as ringing in the ears progressing to an inability to hear as the result of long, repetitive exposure, early prevention is key. Biennial audiograms are a component of the company’s hearing conservation program. In 2010, 969 employees in the Upstream and Downstream businesses, who were identified as potentially at risk agreed to have their hearing tested.

Monitoring worker health in the field
Workforce and community health considerations are incorporated into project planning, as well as at each stage of exploration and project activity. OH professionals work closely with engineers to identify opportunities at the project design stage to minimize potential health and ergonomic risks to workers. Work camps are also inspected to ensure strict standards are met for factors such as water quality, noise and chemical exposures.

Focusing on the personal health of employees
We continue to look at health as a continuum, from prevention to screening and diagnosis to disability case management. As appropriate, OH professionals provide one-on-one sessions focused on retiring healthy. At different times of the year, group medical education sessions were presented to joint industrial councils and management.

We continued efforts to raise personal health awareness among employees through health seminars and fairs, and the company intranet. In 2010, for example, more than 740 employees attended a two-day health fair in Calgary. The education sessions included topics such as restful sleep, posture in life and at work, health, wellness and cancer and osteoporosis.

We also continued to provide a 24-hour confidential counselling and information service through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to employees and their families who experience mental health issues or other concerns affecting their well-being. During the year, about 11 percent of employees and their families accessed the service.

The company’s enhanced EAP service provides support for employees with child and elder care concerns. Our program assesses, identifies and locates care giving services based on need. Employees can arrange an appointment with a family service specialist who conducts research on their behalf. Depending on the requirement, employees may also be provided with a customized package of resources.

Supporting community health studies
Imperial advocates the use of evidence-based studies as a means of better understanding complex community health issues as well as support and communicate research to extend knowledge about health effects of products and operations. As an example, through the EMBSI/IOL study team, we are in the midst of completing the first of a four-phase project to update a 2006 study. The project will examine the rates of certain health outcomes, such as causes of death or incidence of cancer, for Imperial Oil employees compared to the general population. This is the company’s fourth major cohort study.