Safety, Health, & Security

Approach

Our comprehensive approach is outlined in our Safety and Health Management System (SHMS). Key elements of our SHMS include: a policy statement; legal and regulatory information and records; rules and procedures; details regarding specific safety and health programs; training requirements; safety awards; a contractor safety program; and protective and preventive measures.

Under the SHMS, we maintain policies and procedures that align with the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) 18001 standard which covers topics such as chemical and process safety, mine safety, rail safety, fall protection, burner/flame safety, and hazard assessment and control. We also have Covia’s Life-Saving Rules, as well as an Emergency Response Plan that informs our safety efforts.

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we regularly identify and integrate emerging standards into our SHMS to maintain a company-wide set of requirements, policies, and practices. We also continue to expand our actions in areas such as risk management, safety awareness training, and office safety.

Through our management systems, we:

• Track Safety Performance – We have in-depth processes and procedures for tracking safety and health data, which drive continuous improvement and support a people-first mentality. We track standard injury statistics via a scorecard and carefully document leading indicators. We update this scorecard each month and share it with the entire organization on a quarterly basis. Our key safety metrics are available on the homepage of our intranet and updated regularly. In the spirit of accountability, we empower our Team Members to report incidents, near-misses and concerns with management.
• Assess and Manage Risk – We operate under our Life-Saving Rules, which put safety before production; empower our Team Members to recognize and report hazards; minimize interaction between Team Members and mobile equipment; emphasize the importance of energy isolation; and focus on managing risk via the U.S. Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) SLAM (Stop, Look, Analyze and Manage) risk assessment. Under SLAM, workers in our maintenance and production functions are required to conduct risk assessments prior to commencing any assigned task.
  
  To help ensure the physical security of employees and visitors, and to prevent unauthorized access to our operations, we extend robust security measures, which could include stationed security guards, access control systems, or surveillance equipment at our sites. We also maintain emergency response plans at all sites to guide actions in the unlikely event of a physical threat.
• Ensure Proper Training – We provide Team Members with regular training on our safety policies and procedures, including annual emergency action drills, to ensure a proactive approach to incident preparedness and response. New Team Members working in logistics and production receive a minimum of eight hours of safety training, and Team Members in our mining operations receive a minimum of 24 and 40 hours of safety training for our surface and underground operations, respectively. We provide expanded safety instruction in the field, including task-based training, and require annual safety training for all Operations Team Members.
  
  We also conduct Safety Bootcamps, which consist of four-day training sessions for new Operations Team Members, as well as refreshers for other Team Members. During the sessions, we provide detailed information on our safety and health programs, company and applicable MSHA policies, and our Incident Cause Analysis Method (ICAM) investigation procedures. In addition, we educate our front-line Team Members and supervisors on baseline safety and health expectations. Contractors and visitors to all Covia sites are also required to complete site-specific hazard awareness training. Our independent contractors, who may be on site for an extended period, undergo additional safety measures education including, safety pre-qualification and training on hazard-warning recognition.
• Reinforce Safety – Our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operations Officer, and Vice President of Safety & Health host a mandatory, company-wide safety reinforcement event every year, allowing Team Members to learn, talk candidly, and ask questions about critical safety topics.
• Embrace Change – Our Safety & Health Workshops for leaders, including our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operations Officer, Plant Managers and others, advise on S&H program changes, new policies, among other points of interest.
• Set Partner Expectations – We track the safety performance of our partners to ensure we are engaging with organizations that meet our high expectations. Specifically, we expect our partners to maintain transparent and strong safety and health records, require regular training for their employees, and adhere to safety and health regulations and guidelines to promote best-in-class performance. Additionally, we use specialized, established, and trusted partners for the procurement of any hazardous or volatile materials we source to mitigate safety and health risks along our supply chain.
• Support Product Safety – We provide Safety Data Sheets for all Covia products, enabling our customers to develop and implement proper safety guidelines and handling procedures in their own operations where Covia products are used.

Covia is diligent in protecting the health of our Team Members through our Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene programs. Our priorities include reducing risk from exposure to respirable silica dust and related diseases. We rigorously follow the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Hierarchy of Controls to safeguard occupational health by eliminating hazards when feasible, using engineering controls when hazards cannot be eliminated, implementing administrative or work practice controls in addition to or in lieu of engineering controls, and relying on personal protective equipment (PPE) as a last line of defense.

Additional ongoing occupational health measures include:

• Staffing three dedicated Certified Industrial Hygienists within the Safety and Health department to manage our exposure measurement and occupational health programs;
• Conducting regular dust-exposure monitoring for Team Members and general area sampling; Administering a robust medical surveillance program for Team Members working in our plants to help reduce the risk of illness. This program includes biennial chest X-rays, pulmonary function tests, and respirator fit testing;
• Requiring a representative sample of Team Members to wear exposure monitoring devices to measure and minimize exposure risk; and
• Investing in capital improvement projects aimed at mitigating Team Members’ exposure to occupational health risks.

Learn More About Covia's Approach to Safety, Health, & Security