IFC's Performance Standard 4: Community Health, Safety and Security

Performance Standard 4
Community Health, Safety and Security

April 30, 2006
Introduction
1. Performance Standard 4 recognizes that project activities, equipment, and infrastructure often
bring benefits to communities including employment, services, and opportunities for economic
development. However, projects can also increase the potential for community exposure to risks and
impacts arising from equipment accidents, structural failures, and releases of hazardous materials .
Communities may also be affected by impacts on their natural resources, exposure to diseases, and
the use of security personnel. While acknowledging the public authorities ’ role in promoting the
health, safety and security of the public, this Performance Standard addresses the client’s
responsibility to avoid or minimize the risks and impacts to community health, safety and security that
may arise from project activities. The level of risks and impacts described in this Performance
Standard may be greater in projects located in conflict and post-conflict areas.
Objectives
§ To avoid or minimize risks to and im pacts on the health and safety of the local
community during the project life cycle from both routine and non-routine
circumstances
§ To ensure that the safeguarding of personnel and property is carried out in a
legitimate manner that avoids or minimizes risks to the community’s safety and
security
Scope of Application
2. The applicability of this Performance Standard is established during the Social and
Environmental Assessment process, while implementation of the actions necessary to meet the
requirements of this Performance Standard is managed through the client’s Social and
Environmental Management System. The assessment and management system requirements are
outlined in Performance Standard 1.
3. This Performance Standard addresses potential risks and impacts to the affected community
from project activities. Occupational health and safety standards are found in paragraph 16 of
Performance Standard 2, and environmental standards to prevent impacts on human health and the
environment due to pollution are found in Performance Standard 3.
Requirements
Community Health and Safety Requirements

General Requirements
4. The client will evaluate the risks and impacts to the health and safety of the affected community
during the design, construction, operation, and decommissioning of the project and will establish
preventive measures to address them in a manner commensurate with the identified risks and
impacts. These measures will favor the prevention or avoidance of risks and impacts over
minimization and reduction.
5. Where the project poses risks to or adverse impacts on the health and safety of affected
communities, the client will disclose the Action Plan and any other relevant project-related
information to enable the affected communities and relevant government agencies to understand
15 of 34
April 30, 2006
these risks and impacts, and will engage the affected communities and agencies on an ongoing
basis consistent with the requirements of Performance Standard 1.
Infrastructure and Equipment Safety

6. The client will design, construct, and operate and decommission the structural elements or
components of the project in accordance with good international industry practice,1 and will give
particular consideration to potential exposure to natural hazards, especially where the structural
elements are accessible to members of the affected community or where their failure could result in
injury to the community. Structural elements will be designed and constructed by qualified and
experienced professionals, and certified or approved by competent authorities or professionals.
When structural elements or components, such as dams, tailings dams, or ash ponds, are situated in
high-risk locations, and their failure or malfunction may threaten the safety of communities, the client
will engage one or more qualified experts with relevant and recognized experience in similar projects,
separate from those responsible for the design and construction, to conduct a review as early as
possible in project development and throughout the stages of project design, construction, and
commissioning. For projects that operate moving equipment on public roads and other forms of
infrastructure, the client will seek to prevent the occurrence of incidents and accidents associated
with the operation of such equipment.
Hazardous Materials Safety

7. The client will prevent or minimize the potential for community exposure to hazardous materials
that may be released by the project. Where there is a potential for the community (including workers
and their families) to be exposed to hazards, particularly those that may be life-threatening, the client
will exercise special care to avoid or minimize their exposure by modifying, substituting or eliminating
the condition or substance causing the hazards. Where hazardous materials are part of existing
project infrastructure or components, the client will exercise special care when conducting
decommissioning activities in order to prevent exposure to the community. In addition, the client will
exercise commercially reasonable efforts to control the safety of deliveries of raw materials and of
transportation and disposal of wastes, and will implement measures to avoid or control community
exposure to pesticides in accordance with the requirements outlined in paragraphs 6 and 12 through
15 of Performance Standard 3.
Environmental and Natural Resource Issues

8. The client will avoid or minimize the exacerbation of impacts caused by natural hazards, such as
landslides or floods that could arise from land use changes due to project activities.
9. The client will also avoid or minimize adverse impacts due to project activities on soil, water, and
other natural resources in use by the affected communities .
Community Exposure to Disease

10. The client will prevent or minimize the potential for community exposure to water-borne, water-
based, water-related, vector-borne disease, and other communicable diseases that could result from
project activities. Where specific diseases are endemic in communities in the project area of
influence, the client is encouraged to explore opportunities during the project life cycle to improve
environmental conditions that could help reduce their incidence.
1
Defined as the exercise of that degree of skill, diligence, prudence and foresight that would reasonably and
ordinarily be expected from skilled and experienced professionals engaged in the same type of undertaking under
the same or similar circumstances globally.
16 of 34
April 30, 2006
11. The client will prevent or minimize transmission of communicable diseases that may be
associated with the influx of temporary or permanent project labor.
Emergency Preparedness and Response

12. The client will assess the potential risks and impacts from project activities and inform affected
communities of significant potential hazards in a culturally appropriate manner. The client will also
assist and collaborate with the community and the local government agencies in their preparations to
respond effectively to emergency situations, especially when their participation and collaboration are
necessary to respond to such emergency situations. If local government agencies have little or no
capacity to respond effectively, the client will play an active role in preparing for and responding to
emergencies associated with the project. The client will document its emergency preparedness and
response activities, resources, and responsibilities, and will disclose appropriate information in the
Action Plan or other relevant document to affected communities and relevant government agencies.
Security Personnel Requirements

13. When the client directly retains employees or contractors to provide security to safeguard its
personnel and property, it will assess risks to those within and outside the project site posed by its
security arrangements. In making such arrangem ents, the client will be guided by the principles of
proportionality, good international practices in terms of hiring, rules of conduct, training, equipping
and monitoring of such personnel, and applicable law. The client will make reasonable inquiries to
satisfy itself that those providing security are not implicated in past abuses , will train them adequately
in the use of force (and where applicable, firearms) and appropriate conduct toward workers and the
local community, and require them to act within the applicable law. The client will not sanction any
use of force except when used for preventive and defensive purposes in proportion to the nature and
extent of the threat. A grievance mechanism should allow the affected community to express
concerns about the security arrangements and acts of security personnel.
14. If government security personnel are deployed to provide security services for the client, the
client will assess risks arising from such use, communicate its intent that the security personnel act in
a manner consistent with paragraph 13 above, and encourage the relevant public authorities to
disclose the security arrangements for the client’s facilities to the public, subject to overriding security
concerns.
15. The client will investigate any credible allegations of unlawful or abusive acts of security
personnel, take action (or urge appropriate parties to take action) to prevent recurrence, and report
unlawful and abusive acts to public authorities when appropriate.
17 of 34

IFC's Performance Standard 4: Community Health, Safety and Security

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

IFC's Performance Standard 4: Community Health, Safety and Security

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

IFC's Performance Standard 4: Community Health, Safety and Security

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What risks and impacts does the document discuss regarding community health, safety and security?

What responsibilities does the client have regarding infrastructure and equipment safety?

Performance Standard 4

Community Health, Safety and Security

Community Health and Safety Requirements

Infrastructure and Equipment Safety

Hazardous Materials Safety

Environmental and Natural Resource Issues

Community Exposure to Disease

Emergency Preparedness and Response

Security Personnel Requirements

You might also like