Safety Management System

A Foundational Framework

Canadian Natural’s Safety Management System (SMS) is a key framework used to safeguard people, operations and the environment. Our SMS consists of 15 industry recognized elements used to meet or exceed standards for basic safety programs. 

We conduct our business in accordance with the principles found in our Corporate Statements, and our SMS is aligned with the Corporate Statement on Health and Safety

Integrated Management Systems

We believe safe workers and safe operations help deliver steady, reliable production. We manage personal safety and process safety differently, but link them together in terms of awareness and potential impacts.

We also focus on the integrity of our assets to comprehensively address the risks associated with our operations. To ensure safe and reliable operations, we have integrated management systems for: 

  • Personal Safety – Safety of all workers; 
  • Asset Integrity – Safety, compliance and reliability of our pipelines, pressure equipment, tanks and infrastructure; and 
  • Process Safety – A systematic approach to preventing hydrocarbon releases, that not only protects workers but also the public, the environment and our operations. 

Together, these departments focus on: 

  • developing a frontline-driven safety culture; 
  • creating safety advocates or champions within all divisions of our operations – empowering every individual to be aware and contribute to their own safety; 
  • following a proactive approach to risk mitigation; 
  • developing a culture of learning; 
  • constructing value-added communication and reporting; 
  • encouraging feedback; and 
  • cultivating sustainable/consistent processes and systems. 

Our integrated management systems apply across our full range of operations, allowing employees to use proven and established safety methods to conduct their work, with similar procedures at different operations for incident investigation, inspections and safety meetings. 

The North American SMS focuses on major oil sands mining and upgrading operations, as well as diverse conventional and thermal operations. In our International operations, our integrated Safety, Health and Environmental Management System (SHEMS) is based on the same principles, structured to meet local regulatory requirements and performance goals.