OHS training and prevention
In the “Health and Safety Protection Plan” (BIOZ), we have described the safety rules which are common for the workers rotating between construction sites. Every employee on contract, regardless of being hired by our company or a subcontractor, must undergo training within the scope of OHS and internal safety procedures applicable within Budimex Group. At the beginning of every project, there occurs the so-called “Contract Start” – the contract management meets with an OHS specialist and an environmental protection specialist to discuss the required procedures. OHS-related materials have also been prepared for foreigners working on construction sites.
The training system and separate OHS procedures of Budimex Group constitute voluntary additional actions taken by us. Trainings take place more often than it is required by law. Their programme is co-created by employees. It is evaluated and consulted with them. OHS training courses are divided into mandatory and systemic training. For example in FBSerwis SA, the OHS service conducts the so-called preventive training once a month, while training on particularly dangerous works – at different frequencies depending on the business area, but it may take place even on a weekly basis.
In 2019, we trained 2325 employees, while 380 persons benefited from the first aid training.
In previous year, we introduced also several solutions important for improvement of the innovation safety level: In the IT system, we launched a module supporting the process of reporting and testing accidents at work, near misses and environmental emergencies. The module supports also the implementation of necessary preventive measures for the entire organisation. In 2019, the reporting system was further tested, after the preliminary tests in 2018. An application prepared for its purposes is used to report and remove hazards found during the construction process by a suitably qualified construction site staff. It is further improved on the basis of notifications from its users. The system contributes to an increased detection of accidents and an increase in staff awareness of near misses. In addition, we can carry out more detailed statistical analyses thanks to a harmonised reporting system.
In the case of FBSerwis SA, the reduced accident risk and simultaneous improvement of the comfort of travellers are obtained thanks to the Yanosik application, which was released in 2018. It informs people moving along the roads maintained by the company about the implemented road works. This functionality enables drivers not only to consider performed works in their itinerary, but also to be more cautious. As a result, accidents in which travellers and our employees could be injured become less likely. In addition, FBSerwis SA implements many initiatives promoting security improvement, e.g. contests “Mummy, Daddy, Work Safely”, “Together for Safety”. In 2019, the first competition for giving first aid was organised, covering all regions and areas in which the company operated.
“Agreement for Safety in Construction”
For almost ten years, Budimex SA has been a signatory of the “Agreement for Safety in Construction” designed to promote proper OHS-related behaviour in the construction industry. This is the biggest initiative of this kind. Within the Agreement established in 2010, 13 largest companies from the construction industry have been cooperating with each other to develop the best OHS-related solutions, e.g. uniform document specimens, model of confirming professional qualifications of temporary employees, or a periodical training programme. The BIOZ plan is one of the results of this cooperation. Meetings of the Agreement’s Steering Committees gather presidents of the associated construction companies. In 2019, they dealt, among others, with fatal accidents that occurred in the last year. According to the Central Statistical Office data, the building industry is on the third place among the sectors where accidents at work happen and although year by year their number is decreasing, there is still much to do in this area.
As the signatory of the Agreement, we engage in many initiatives, for example we support two “small” Agreements at Regional Labour Inspectorates in Szczecin and Białystok, where smaller construction companies are associated. In addition, we take part in initiatives where the law and new standards of health and safety protection are created. In 2019, the Director of Occupational Health and Safety, Fire Fighting and Environmental Protection was appointed to the Working Team for Safety in Construction, under which the standard “Machinery for Concrete Transport and Pumping – Minimum Requirements” was developed together with the Association of Ready Mixed Concrete Producers in Poland.