At Chevron, safety is our highest priority. For the sixth consecutive year, we reduced the rate of injuries severe enough to require days away from work by 22 percent, compared with 2006. Although our safety performance is among the top in the industry, we will not be satisfied until we have zero incidents — no one injured.
We also continued efforts to improve the efficiency of our operations. Since 1992, the year we began tracking, we have increased our energy efficiency by 27 percent and lowered our annual energy costs by approximately $2 billion.
Chevron has integrated systematic processes into all aspects of its operations to protect the safety and health of people and the environment and to ensure reliable and efficient operations. During the year, an outside independent audit determined that the design of our Operational Excellence Management System met, and in some cases exceeded, the requirements of ISO 14001 (environmental management systems) and OHSAS 18001 (health and safety management systems).