As a Group we focus on continual improvement and development of health and safety, with strong foundations which we have established throughout the Group, reducing the severity of incidents and focusing on increasing proactive safety initiatives, ways of working and notification processes.
As part of our health and safety strategy, we implemented ISO 45001 in our production sites in Poland, Czech Republic and Germany to further build on our safety systems and our risk-based approach, enhance local and functional management safety ownership, while continuing our health and safety journey of excellence. We have also recently implemented the ‘SHE ASSURE’ system to go digital with health and safety incidents management, risk assessment reporting and follow-up. During the year we have focused our resources to implement special measures to ensure a safe workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic. Daily we ensure that our employees and external visitors conform to new hygiene regimes and they are properly equipped for their job. We have also helped local communities by producing and distributing free disinfectants – see case study in ARA 2020.
During the year, there were no major accidents. All lost time incidents (LTIs) which are required to be reported externally based on local legal requirements were properly filed. Although the LTI number increased versus last year, they were all minor in nature. As the graphic below demonstrates, the development of LTIs over the three-year period between 2018–2020 emphasises the effect of our proactive focus on health and safety across the Group in previous years. The positive trend was interrupted in 2020 and 15 LTIs were recorded. Due to this increase, we have reinforced our focus on proactive health and safety and implemented a number of corrective actions, including focus on behavioural aspects of safety, trainings and implementation of the Health and Safety improvement plan. A number of fixed assets, e.g. access platforms, were modified or completely rebuilt to minimise the risk of incidents. Currently we are focussing all of our efforts to further embed the safety culture across the Group.
Comprehensive and holistic safety improvement plans are in place across all locations covering culture and behaviour, education, training, awareness and ownership asset safety; systems, processes and ways of working. Audit action plans are managed locally and at Group level, which are supported by the compliance team.
Formal local and Group health and safety reporting is presented on a monthly basis to the local management team, Group Leadership Team and to the Board, and includes updates on safety performance for the period; safety initiatives; investment updates; action plan performance; and reviews and audit updates.