Let’s all take charge of our health and safety!

The Veolia Group Launched its 7th International Health & Safety Week (from 20 to 24 September).

Let’s all take charge of our health and safety!

Our 171,500-strong workforce is our most precious asset, their safety our number 1 priority.

 

The Veolia Group launches its 7th International Health & Safety Week (from 20 to 24 September) and is committed to guaranteeing a safe and secure work environment. Accident prevention and health and safety are permanent priorities across all our business lines. Everywhere we operate, we have an unshakeable commitment to protecting the physical and mental wellbeing of our employees. The objective behind this special event is to inspire employees into even greater action with the aim of preventing accidents and safeguarding everyone's health as part of a collective effort to improve working conditions. Top of the event's agenda is fall hazard prevention.

According to WHO, falls are the second leading cause of accidental or unintentional injury deaths worldwide. At Veolia, the consequences arising from such falls account for 22% of lost work days through work-related accidents. That is why the 7th International Health & Safety Week is directing its attention towards the risk of slips, trips and falls from height.

Our 2020 campaign focused on raising awareness of dangerous behaviour and aimed to improve the ability to spot hazardous situations. The goal behind the 2019 campaign ("Observing is caring") was to encourage everyone to behave in a safer manner and pay greater attention to others.

 

Veolia CEO Antoine Frérot addressed all the Group's employees:

In 2021, we are determined to move forward with our strategy of improving risk perception and promoting responsible behaviour, with the aim of raising greater awareness of unconscious mistakes. That is why the 2021 International Health & Safety Week will shine the spotlight on the fall hazards that all Veolia employees may be exposed to. 

The contest: life-size hazard spotting

To change our behaviour and eliminate hazards, the idea is to pick up the practices and habits that can prevent falls in the different situations typically encountered in the workplace, such as slips and trips, or when using the stairs, ladders or scaffolding.

An internal competition was organised at all the Group's sites to identify fall hazards based on a series of photos or videos (showing the hazard before and after risk treatment). These photos and videos will be uploaded to Veolia's online platform of Best practices for health and safety. After creating a shortlist of the best behaviour in each zone, the Veolia Executive Committee will pick the three winners of the "Always Safe" health and safety awards based on the following criteria: the best practice must be easy to replicate, offer good cost-effective performance and reflect the Group's expertise. The "Special Jury Prize" will be awarded to the Business Unit that has collected the largest number of best practices in relation to the size of its workforce.