Sustainable development commitments

Integrated management system: Safety, Health, Security, Environment

Structuring all of its management systems within a single global system has enabled the Chalon/Saint Marcel plant to:

• render the facility's various mechanisms consistent,
• increase the overall efficiency of its initiatives,
• take into account the interest of all parties involved in Quality, Safety/Heath, and the Environment,
• to have a wider view of the factors for the facility's success through risk management,
• optimize the cost of internal and external audits.

In addition to these organizational, human, and financial benefits, this global approach in favor of sustainable development:

• ensures personnel safety and security,
• guarantees product quality,
• enables management of the environmental impact of the plant's activities.

All of the facility's personnel now work daily towards compliance with the Quality/Health/Safety/Environment standards.

Environmental protection

In 2007, the facility undertook to reduce its energy consumption by 5% maintaining an equivalent output. An objective achieved thanks to optimization of its production processes and investment in more environmentally efficient tools. At the same time as energy consumption dropped, activity more than doubled between 2003 and 2007.

The quantity of water drawn from the public distribution network dropped 33% between 2008 and 2009, partially in consequence of a change in the manufacturing process, with the installation of a closed circuit and new plant equipment consuming less water.

At the other end of the manufacturing chain, the emissions discharged into the atmosphere, primarily the result of burning natural gas, were lowered in 2009. And in compliance with agreements signed with local water treatment plants, the wastewater discharged by the plant is checked on a regular basis, as is stormwater runoff, which is discharged into the natural milieu. The pollutant values of water discharged by the plant are lower than the limit values authorized.

TECHNOLOGICAL RISK MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION

The Chalon/Saint Marcel plant provides the highest level of security to preserve the health of its employees and neighboring populations, and to protect the environment.

EFFICIENT WASTE MANAGEMENT

To reduce ultimate waste, improvement programs are being pursued in all of the AREVA group's facilities to limit and control waste production at the source.

An internal sorting center has been created at the Chalon/Saint Marcel plant as part of this program. In 2006, the facility installed a new waste hangar for materials to facilitate the sorting and temporary storage of waste.

In 2009, of the 870 tons of ordinary industrial waste produced, nearly 67% was recycled or recovered. The same is true for dangerous industrial waste, for which the recycling/recovery rate was nearly 94%.

STAFF HEALTH, SAFETY AND TRAINING

As part of the AREVA Way initiative, AREVA has also defined its health and safety objectives in policies, in turn included in the Chalon/Saint Marcel facility's Quality, Health, Safety and Environment initiative.

The health and safety of staff at the facility and those from external companies called upon to intervene at the various sites still remains and will always remain major priorities.

HEALTH CARE

The medical team provides medical supervision for all employees at the facility. The team issues statements of medical fitness, provides emergency treatment, advises on matters of hygiene and working conditions and is involved in preventive actions.

The actions of the medical team are furthered strengthened by the part-time presence of a social worker and a psychological consultant, with the setting up of a psychological support unit for personnel end 2008.

WORKPLACE SAFETY

As a result of the staff’s day to day commitment to safety regarding both accident prevention and protection, only 6 accidents occurred in 2009 resulting in sick leave and an accident frequency rate of 3.3 (compared to 5.99 in 2008).

Improvement tools have been deployed to achieve the objective of zero accidents:

• safety inspections,
• Works Health and Safety Committee actions,
• consideration of ergonomics when designing equipment,
• accident analysis,
• safety information gathering.

 After having concentrated on implementing specific safety standards at each workstation,  in 2009 the facility focused on a more global approach to defining best practices and safety-resources-efficiency standards.

QUALIFYING, TRAINEE AND APPRENTICE TRAINING

Parallel to its staff training initiative, each year the Chalon/Saint Marcel facility implements qualifying training courses in close collaboration with the AFPI in Burgundy 21-71, particularly in welding, machining and sheet metal working, and with the AREVA group in non-destructive inspections.  In 2009, the plant signed 22 professional qualification and CQPM (certificate of equivalent qualification in metallurgy) contracts. 885 employees in all benefited from some type of training, i.e., 78% of the workforce.

Each year the facility welcomes numerous placement students. In 2009, 73 students were trained at the plant for a period of 2 to 9 months, compared to 35 in 2008. They were thus able to complete their theoretical courses with practical training in manufacturing methods, fluid mechanics, corrosion and in performing calculations.

In spring 2008, Luc Oursel, AREVA NP's Chairman, inaugurated the new welding school where welders are trained in the various techniques associated with the facility's activities on a rotational basis.

The plant also took on 12 trainees in 2009 in various fields of specialization who were completing different degrees, ranging from the CAP (vocational training cursus) through BAC + 5 (5 years of university training).