Occupational safety is all about attitude. Taking a safe approach can prevent all hazardous situations. Occupational well-being as well as monitoring and management of working capacity are key success factors to our operations.
Occupational safety at Lemminkäinen
The Lemminkäinen Group seeks to be a leader in occupational safety in the construction industry. Attitude is the decisive factor – professionals always take safety into consideration.
Our occupational safety efforts are based on safety training, reducing accidents, a workplace atmosphere that emphasizes safety, and supporting safe working conditions and methods. We act pre-emptively, with clear goals and a continuous commitment to reducing accidents.
We provide our personnel with the safety training required for their tasks. We are continually improving our safety operations on the basis of feedback from both internal and external evaluations. Whether operating in Finland or abroad, we adhere to all relevant legislation on occupational health and safety and the environment.
Overall responsibility for the safety of our operations is held by each business sector’s management. Management, employees, safety managers and the industrial safety organisation share responsibility for implementing safety measures and ensuring safety. We carry out a wide range of regular safety audits and reviews at our sites and locations. In Finland, for example, we make the weekly safety measurements required by law.
During 2010, we also appointed a Group-wide environment and safety steering group. The steering group, which reports to Group management, covers all business sectors and seeks to share good practices across business sectors. We are a member of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health’s Zero Accident Forum and, on the basis of 2009 results, the Lohja roofing plant was awarded Grade II – ‘Heading for the world’s forefront’.
In 2011, we will be adopting new, Group-wide safety policies and principles. These principles define our stand on issues such as accident prevention and influencing attitudes to safety. Management will be conducting exemplary safety rounds and we will also be focusing on further involving employees in our occupational safety efforts.
The Group’s accident frequency was 36 accidents /million working hours in 2010. During 2010, we standardised the use of personal safety equipment and introduced revised safety indicators for Building Construction and Civil Engineering indicators. Our goal is to reduce the number of accidents to under half of the 2010 level by the end of this strategic period. During 2011, we will also be expanding our safety status reporting to locations outside Finland.
Each of our Group’s companies and locations arranges its own industrial safety operations. All personnel from hourly paid workers to senior salaried employees are represented by industrial safety committees. Cooperation on industrial safety issues increases dialogue between employer and employees, and gives personnel a say in issues relating to health and safety in the workplace.
A joint meeting of all of the Group’s industrial safety committees is held once a year.
Updated 18.3.2011