Health, safety & well-being
Ensuring safety is our utmost priority at Etex. Our structured and evolving approach builds on our teammates who, with their experience, professional attitude and dedication to caring for each other, take ownership every day to apply our health and safety rules.
Safety: going for zero
Every year, we strive for a zero accident and zero occupational illness workplace. To achieve that we have put in place a strong health and safety management system including a comprehensive combination of policies, standards, responsibilities, training, evaluation, targeted programmes and follow-up on our goals and targets. In 2022, after several good years we unfortunately recorded results which do not meet our high standards. This will push Etex to further focus on our strong safety culture.
 |
|
Number of lost-time accidents per |
 |
|
Level of absenteeism after an accident. |
 |
|
Frequency of lost-time and medical aid |
 |
|
Average number of safety activities |
Spotting the hazard, assess the risk and avoid an accident
At Etex, we have different ways to detect and address risks. Therefore, we are conducting a systematic Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) of all routine tasks, and we measure results through operational, corporate and external auditing and reporting processes. Throughout the year, we also encourage safety observation and conversations, through which our leaders can identify, discuss and mitigate hazardous situations.
Limiting the risks
In 2022, our plants put tremendous effort into evaluating the implementation of the Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment principles, posting an average score of 90%.
SafeStart
At Etex, our ambition is to ensure that every Etex colleague comes back home safe and sound every day. SafeStart is a programme that helps us to take safety awareness to the next level. The SafeStart approach reinforces knowledge with practical techniques that help teammates stay more alert to risk all day - not only at work but also at home and on the road.
Healthier and inspired teams for a stronger Etex
Mental health and physical well-being are crucial to health and safety in the workplace. In the spirit of a healthy mind in a healthy body, we launched the "Etex Challenge" and set up a global Employee Assistance Programme to support the mental well-being of our teammates. In addition, there are many other local and global initiatives to promote a healthy workforce.
Etex Challenge
Etex Challenge
The “Etex Challenge” brings teammates from around the world together, motivates them to improve their physical and mental well-being, and connects them to the wider world through fundraising for charity.
Employee Assistance Programme
Employee Assistance Programme
In 2021 we launched another initiative to support our teammates’ mental well-being: a global Employee Assistance Programme, accessible 24/7 and available in the local languages of our teammates.
Managing our asbestos past
Managing our asbestos past
Asbestos is part of our past and we continue to manage our history with the material carefully. We have implemented a group-wide policy to enforce this commitment:
-
Compensate victims
At Etex, we must ensure that those who become seriously ill due to the use of asbestos in their factories receive fair financial compensation. -
Prevent exposure
While finishing site upgrades, we constantly monitor the presence of airborne fibres and meticulously manage the safety of all buildings and landfills. -
Support research
We support medical and scientific research into asbestos-related diseases.
