We take our responsibilities as a business, as an employer and as a member of the community very seriously. From the way we treat our employees and serve the public to our impact on the environment and our work with local communities, we set ourselves very high standards. And you can see the results for yourself. While we have received national and international recognition, it’s not the awards that drive us; it’s the results. Here are a few of our recent highlights.
Safety
The safety of our staff and the public is absolutely fundamental. We have a Road to Zero Programme, where we have the ultimate aim of zero injuries, zero work-related ill health and zero environmental incidents. While that’s a major target, we do think it’s attainable. Only last year, we reduced the number of hours lost through injuries by 24%, and we will continue to implement the very highest standards of health and safety practice in the workplace.
Environment
We are serious about our responsibility to the environment – and achievement of the ISO 14001 international standard for environmental management shows how serious. We have also embarked on a major remediation programme, cleaning up and regenerating contaminated redundant gas works land. We have made sure that year on year our direct and indirect emissions of greenhouse gases have not risen. Our impact on climate change has been reduced by 14%, which is well above the Kyoto 12.5% obligation in the UK.
Furthermore, our Grain liquefied natural gas import terminal has signed an agreement with a proposed neighbouring power station. This agreement allows the terminal to use the station's excess heat to warm liquefied gas, in the process of converting it for use on the national gas system. The result is expected to include a reduction of 350,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide used every year. A pipeline will be built between the two sites to transport warm water to the terminal. The first heat transfer is planned for 2010.
We also run education programmes at our Environmental Education Centres, located at National Grid sites and with partner organisations. Every year, we help more than 80,000 children and other visitors understand more about conservation and sustainability.
Community
Every year we invest millions of pounds (and dollars) in community programmes – from well-being to life-long learning. Both in the UK and US, we help people who have difficulty with energy payments. For example, in the US we support more than 215,000 National Grid customers with Low Income Discount Rates. While in the UK, we help vulnerable people by supporting four Warm Zones (within the Affordable Warmth Programme). We work with Government and social housing providers to provide free energy efficiency measures.
Our award-winning Young Offender Training and Employment Programme has gathered real momentum. With the involvement now of over 50 FTSE companies, we have seen 400 young people secure a new future with a significant reduction in the re-offending rate.