Health & Safety
The health and safety of our people is of overriding concern to us. We believe that good safety and health practices in the workplace contribute to the success of a business. Through our operating companies, we are committed to maintaining and improving our standards.
Health and Safety policy
In 2005, we consulted with our operating companies on the need for an updated policy. While we found that many of the commitments made in the original policy are still valid, there was a need to introduce a widened scope and specific objectives. The latest policy is available in the policies and downloads section of this website.
Health and Safety Performance Indicators
We have developed a consistent framework for capturing health and safety performance data across the company. We report performance against four key indicators relating to employees:
Fatalities - deaths as a result of an event or exposure that takes place on Pearson premises or are as a result of any other work related event
Major injuries and illness illness - such as fractures (not to digits), amputations, dislocations, permanent or temporary loss of sight, acute or chronic occupational illness
All other injuries and illness - injuries and illness not covered by the above. This can include cuts, sprains, and fractures to digits.
Enforcement notices or prosecutions - received from national regulators
This data collection framework allows us to report Group performance figures based on a 2003 baseline
Health and Safety performance
Throughout the period we have introduced new and improved procedures to encourage employees to report incidents. Against this backdrop, we are pleased that a downward trend in reported incidents has been established.
Health & Safety
| 2003 Group Figures | 2004 Group Figures | 2005 Group Figures | 2006 Group Figures | 2007 Group Figures | 2008 Group Figures | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Rate per 1,000 employees | Number | Rate per 1,000 employees | Number | Rate per 1,000 employees | Number | Rate per 1,000 employees | Number | Rate per 1,000 employees | Number | Rate per 1,000 employees | |
| Employees | 25,964 | 28,028 | 30,875 | 30,197 | 31,622 | 33,584 | ||||||
| Fatalities | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Major injuries & work related illness | 30 | 1.16 | 42 | 1.36 | 64 | 2.07 | 39 | 1.29 | 20 | 0.63 | 8 | 0.24 |
| All other injuries & work related illness | 1,421 | 54.7 | 1,845 | 65.8 | 1,259 | 40.8 | 1,367 | 45.3 | 1079 | 34.1 | 974 | 29 |
| Enforcement notices or prosecutions | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
Health and Safety initiatives
Pearson people work in offices, data and call centres and in distribution centres. We adopt a risk-based approach to health & safety paying particular attention to facilities such as distribution centres with relatively higher rate of incidents. During 2008, we:
- Implemented a 'SafeWorks Scorecard' in key locations in the US
- Piloted a new approach to making workplace ergonomic assessments to identify and address employees at risk
- Completed a review of procedures at the four Distribution Centres in the US and our new facility at San Antonio in Texas to identify opportunities for improvement
- Reduced incidents at our Distribution Centre in the UK by almost 50%.
More broadly, a focus in 2008 was improved communication on health & safety matters. In the US, where we employ most people, we introduced a new safety and risk management website. This has proved popular bringing together in one easy to use site policies, procedures, training materials and methods for sharing good practice.
Health and Safety targets for 2009
Targets for 2009 include:
- Building on our ergonomic pilot, to establish a new Committee to oversee the implementation of the programme across the US
- To develop a safety index to help individual facility managers to monitor and set their own goals
- To establish new or updated safety guidance documentation in five key areas
- To expand the scope of the Pearson Emergency Response Team initiative
- To increase the scale and reach of health and safety training in the UK with the aim of reaching over 1,000 employees.