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Meter Reader Safety –Changing Face of Safety

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Accenture Utilities BPO Services

Accenture Utilities BPO Services of British Columbia• 300 Meter Readers and Field Collection staff in 54 offices• 364,764 square miles with both urban and rural areas• electric and gas meter reading and field collections• Itron Premier Plus 4 meter reading system

Largest provider of outsourced Customer Care, Technology andBusiness Services to 21 utilities in North America and Europe• operating multiple Call Centres 24/7 in 5 time zones• producing 80+ million bills• conducting 80 million meter reads annually• 4000+ employees in 7 countries

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Changing face of Safety in BC• Massive unusual weather related events throughout British Columbia this

past winter– Unusually heavy snow and ice

• Vancouver and northern areas– Everything from monsoon-like rains to blizzard-like conditions including

extreme wind storms and wide spread power outages• ‘Vicious storm slams into the south coast. Its 100 km/h-plus winds snap trees and

down power lines, leaving 210,000 homes and businesses across the provincewithout power’

• The Province Newspaper (November 15th 2006)• ‘A month for the record books’

• The Province Newspaper (November 30th, 2006)

– Flooding– Challenging conditions led to sore muscles and tired people making safety a

top priority

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Changing Face of Safety• Increased customer security awareness

– Safe meter access is becoming more challenging as morecustomers put locks on their gates, install security systems andbuild fences that prevent easy access to meters

• Increase in number of safety incidents– Customers do not want Meter Readers on their property. This is

causing more interaction between Meter Readers and Customers• significant increase in the number and severity of violence in the

workplace incidents

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Changing Face of Safety

• Other factors– Aging workforce

• more injuries and longer recovery time– Hot British Columbia job market

• Increased staff turnover, less experienced staff in the field– High copper prices

• wire theft from pump houses are causing farmers to alarm pumphouses - delaying reads and putting meter readers at risk as theyattempt to gain access to pump houses during winter road conditions

– Continued pressure to meet service levels

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Responding to the Changes• Increased focus on meter reading safety equipment• Vehicle strategy to respond to weather conditions

– Pre-scheduling staff to come in early to clear snow, open frozendoors and start vehicles

– Pre-planning for carpooling using 4 wheel drive vehicles todecrease vehicle accidents related to weather conditions

• Timely reaction to emergent situations to ensure meterreader safety where changing weather conditions put meterreader safety at risk

• Violence in the workplace training and education program• Increased focus on training for new employees on safety

awareness and safe work practices

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Accenture Safety Program

Team Leads Field Staff

People Advocacy

Corporate Health and Safety

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Engaging Employees To Work Safely• Rewards and recognition program

– will recognize the exceptional safety practices andperformance of individual employees

– Sample recognition measures– zero preventable vehicle accidents– zero preventable injuries– wearing full uniform– time loss under the corporate average– completing daily in and out safety checks

• Local safety committee involvement• Safety contests

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Educating Employees To Work Safely• Raising awareness on safety issues that Utilities BPO

Services BC teams face on regular basis• Theme – “Work Safe. Be Safe”• Four safety themes

– Flooding– Slips, Trips and Falls– Driving and general transportation safety– Violence in the Workplace

• Tied into safety events-Safety Rodeo and local safetymeetings

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Accenture Utilities BPO ServicesSafety Program• Regular safety Meetings• Email to staff• Fax out to all sites for reminders, updates• News bulletins• Hand Held computer reminder messages on screen• Monthly safety themes• Safety posters• Safety Rodeo• Safety themed employee incentives – for example: water bottles• Internal and external training for:

– back care, preventing muscular injury, dog training, driver reviews,violence in the workplace

• Safety education program

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Safety Program - Tools• Corporate Health and Safety intranet site• Site safety plans

• Safety training requirements• Training frequency• Training schedule• Risk assessment and hazard identification

• Safety manuals and documentation maintained at all sites• Meter Reader Training manuals• Mandatory new employee orientation• Educational program around safety to raise awareness• Total focus on safety in the workplace• CCOHS –Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Resource

• www.ccohs.ca

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Tracking Safety Incidents

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Tracking Safety Training

Heather Mullan Anywhere John Doe 123456

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Tracking Safety• What challenges are you facing?• How do keep your workforce safe?