Westport Fuel Systems - Sustainability

Safety perspective

In 2021, Westport Fuel Systems acquired Stako sp. z o.o., (“Stako”), a leading manufacturer of LPG fuel storage.

Along with extensive manufacturing and operational excellence, extensive and specialized training includes approximately 100 work-station specific standards and procedures as well as basic safety training that is provided during employee onboarding and repeated continuously, helping to reinforce a culture of safety. There are specific procedures in place for temporary workers and external contractors to ensure they are working within Westport Fuel Systems’ expectations and standards, and so that everyone remains safe while working at the facility.

Tracking and recording the number of recordable incidents is just one of the KPIs that informs the plant’s safety performance. While the goal is of course zero incidents, the best record at the Poland facility is an impressive 499 days without any incidents resulting in injury. This site’s exemplary performance and overall commitment to health and safety provides the opportunity to learn and adopt new practices for continuous improvement at other locations.

“We have about 300 employees working in a manufacturing environment producing steel tanks, with cutting, stamping, welding, plus a lot of in-house transportation activity like the use of forklifts,” said Arek. “With that many moving parts, we take a serious approach to employee safety training, including tracking ‘near misses’ so we can identify hazards and make the necessary precautionary adjustments.”

Westport Fuel Systems benefits from the expertise of Arkadiusz “Arek” Kubasik, the Fuel Storage Business Unit Leader at the facility who has worked at the Słupsk site in Poland for the past 22 years.

2021 Performance

By proactively identifying and managing risks, reviewing leading practices and integrating lessons learned into our health and safety planning, we aim for incident-free operations. With approximately 1,800 employees, reportable injuries dropped again, from 12 in 2020 to seven in 2021, and our recordable injury rate (RIR) dropped, from 0.93 (2020) to 0.42 in 2021.

Westport Fuel Systems Recordable Injury Rate

Key Initiatives

A diverse and inclusive culture encourages the exchange of different perspectives, creative problem-solving and it enriches our discussions, all of which allow us to gain a broader understanding of customers from different markets and improve our business performance overall. We also know that the best talent wants to work in an environment where differences whether cultural or opinion-based- are respected and valued.

Active hiring, leading to the formation of teams in our Canadian and Italian operations, with employees from different cultures and regions

Working with vendors and suppliers from the underrepresented segments of society