Conditions, occupational health and safety (OHS)

Care for the safety of the employees and persons performing works on construction sites is not for us only a matter of business risk management. It is a matter of ethics, moral and social responsibility. However, from a purely business point of view, the accident risk is also a risk of temporary exclusion of a qualified employee and, consequently, of additional difficulties in the execution of works, the risk of suspension of works or the loss of image, especially in the eyes of current or potential employees. Actions are based on the belief that safety is a common good and each and every working person is responsible not only for him-/herself, but also for colleagues. Therefore, the operations in the field of safety improvement on construction sites include everyone: employees, contractors, consortium members, suppliers, and individuals involved in the project implementation.

The OHS Policy has been in force throughout our capital group since 2016. Its goal is to ensure safe processes and workplaces free from any hazards for all employees. Additionally, within the framework of the Policy, good practices are implemented to build a safety culture. The implemented tools allow for the acquisition of knowledge on potential threats and for the accurate risk identification.

The assumptions of the OHS Policy are:

• compliance with laws and standards, application of good practices,
• risk assessment and planning, i.e. implementation of reliable occupational risk assessment processes for conducted activities, striving for robust planning, organisation and control of all measures, tools and resources that make it possible to create a safe working environment for all employees,
• effective and consistent communication, i.e. provision of communication channels to facilitate communication and encourage everyone to make a positive contribution into the development and promotion of occupational safety,
• training and involvement in educational activities, i.e. provision of appropriate measures and tools to improve employee competences, so that they are aware of the risks associated with their roles and functions,
• resource allocation, i.e. establishing and maintaining effective occupational health and safety management systems, including the provision of necessary human and material resources to ensure occupational safety,
• occupational safety in the supply chain, i.e. provision of increased attention to the supply chain, implementation of OHS requirements as a criterion for selecting suppliers and business partners,
• measurement and monitoring of occupational safety measures in a regular and consistent manner, including a thorough study of incidents in order to reduce similar hazards in the future,
• continuous improvement and implementation of innovations in that area.

In all our companies, OHS committees operate with participation of representatives of employees and the employer, thus representing all employees (100%). The committee’s task is to conduct OHS inspections, which are held weekly for all contracts. All the information from inspections and recommendations are stored in one place, so it may be quickly referred to and easily monitored, if necessary.

Certified OHS systems are implemented in the two of our key companies – in Mostostal Kraków as PN-N-18001, and in Budimex SA – OHSAS 18001 and PN-N-18001. FBSerwis SA and Budimex Nieruchomości Sp. z o.o. did not have any certified OHS management systems that would cover those companies as a whole.