International Health and Safety day
Social initiative award nominee 2007
Vigilance over issues of accident prevention and safety remains a priority for Veolia Environmental Services. December 2006 saw the third consecutive annual information day focusing on these essential issues.
Who took this initiative?
The Veolia Environmental Services division in its entirety, including its international companies.
Why
The challenges posed by safety and accident prevention are particularly demanding in a division where, by the nature of its business, its employees are permanently exposed to significant risks.
For whom
All French and international locations take part in this information day. Some local customers and partners also participate.
Implementation
2006 saw the introduction of two new resources to update safety accident prevention and information:
- a new version of the accident prevention, health and safety policy applied by the division;
- training in risk identifi cation.
How
Particular emphasis was focused on road hazards, which affect the majority of employees. Over 220 employees from all regions heard the experienced input presented by the Road Technical Centre of the APTH (the French association for Accident Prevention in the Transport of Hydrocarbons) at a driver behavior training day held at the Le Creusot circuit.
The day gave heavy truck drivers the opportunity to improve their risk management and defensive driving techniques.
Another highlight during the same information day was the launch by the Île-de-France region of Veolia Environmental Services, of an information system that uses the regional intranet to provide on-screen information for all employees. Using this system, regulatory messages as well as emergency and alert statuses are updated daily in all branches across the region.
Outcome
The International Accident Prevention and Safety Days held over the last 3 years have underlined the importance of motivating all employees to address these issues. They provide an effective opportunity to highlight the requirements imposed by Veolia Environmental Services, and strengthen its business culture.
Problems & solutions
This annual one-day event requires meticulous preparation, which in turn means that employees are also actively involved in preparing its content.
Extending the initiative
This day will be repeated. The information resources produced to support this annual event are now in place in all branches.
