Safety is our greatest responsibility 

The clearest demonstration of our respect for our employees, contractors, suppliers, partners, customers and neighbors is an unyielding commitment to safety. To ensure that our employees have a safe and healthy workplace, we implement various programs and operate around a set of five-year goals to monitor our progress and adapt new safety practices.

Workplace safety through LIFE (Life-altering Injury and Fatality Elimination)

Cargill is enhancing its safety programming through a new approach called Focus on LIFE (Life-altering Injury and Fatality Elimination). The program is aimed at identifying and addressing life-threatening dangers hidden in our tasks and workplace. The company is enhancing work activity interventions, reducing human errors, strengthening its incident investigations, and improving how its measures safety incidents.

Workplace safety through behavior-based safety (BBS) systems

We deploy behavior-based safety (BBS) systems to locations to build even greater awareness and ownership of safety among employees, resulting in an increase of:

• Safety awareness and engagement in safety behaviors
• Recognition of  positive safety behaviors and are eliminating barriers to working safely

2015 workplace safety goals are achieving zero fatalities among employees and contractors, zero injuries at 75 percent of its more than 1,200 operating locations globally and a Reportable Injury Frequency Rate (RIFR) – the number of injuries per 200,000 hours worked – of 2.0 

In fiscal 2012, Cargill’s RIFR was 2.1 compared to 2.7 in fiscal 2011, a 22 percent improvement and Cargill’s best RIFR ever. More than 800 of Cargill’s 1,200 locations (slightly more than 70 percent) worked injury free in fiscal 2012.   

2012 Recordable Injury Frequency Rate		2012 Disabling Frequency Rate
As defined by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Recordable Injury Frequency Rate measures total recordable injuries per 200,000 hours worked. In Cargill's continued commitment to eliminate all occupational injuries and illnesses from our operations, our 2015 workplace safety goals are zero fatalities and an RIFR of 2.0.		OSHA’s Disabling Frequency Rate measures lost time injuries per 200,000 hours worked. In fiscal 2012 our Disability Frequency Rate dropped from .19 to .17.

Incorporating strict industry standards to strengthen workplace safety 

OHSAS 18001 compliant 

Ninety Cargill’s facilities have been certified as OHSAS 18001:2007 compliant. The OHSAS 18001  (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series) standards grew out of the global success of the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 series of standards and the increasing demand by companies for a standard that addressed the management of safety in the workplace.

OSHA Voluntary Protection Programs 

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) within the United States sponsors what it calls Voluntary Protection Programs (VPPs). VPPs promote worksite-based safety and health. VPP participants are a select group of facilities that have designed and implemented outstanding health and safety programs. Within the program there are differing levels of recognition: Star participants meet all VPP requirements; Merit participants demonstrate the potential and willingness to achieve Star program status, and are implementing planned steps to fully meet all Star requirements. 

Cargill VPP locations 

• Corn Milling NA, Eddyville, IA
• Corn Milling NA, Wahpeton, ND
• Corn Milling NA, Blair, NE
• CVAM, California (Feed Mill), MO
• CVAM, Gentry (Hatchery), AR
• CVAM, Harrisonburg (Feed Mill), VA
• CVAM, Harrisonburg (Hatchery), VA
• CVAM, Springdale (Processing), AR
• CVAM, Springdale (Feed Mill), AR
• CVAM, Temple, TX
• CVAM, Timberville, VA
• CVAM, Waco, TX
• Regional Beef, Wyalusing