Protecting human health
Occupational safety and occupational health promotion are, as a matter of course, embedded in our day-to-day operations at EEW. Measures and programmes are tailored to the particular activities of the employees. At our plant sites, it is extremely important to us to raise awareness of safety-conscious behaviour and health protection among our own employees as well as employees of partner firms. Accordingly, there are instructions, regular trainings and other measures relating to the topic “safe working practices in the workplace.”
5,226 accident-free days
One of EEW’s key goals is to prevent all types of accidents. At the end of 2022, the Großräschen site was a stellar example in this regard. Marko Szewczyk is one of the safety officers in Großräschen and is considered “an institution” at the plant. The 53-year-old trained electrician has been working at the site since 1988. When asked about the “secret” behind the impressive number of accident-free days, he says there is no such thing. “The most important thing is that a seasoned team has been working together here for years and decades and everyone has an in-depth understanding of the topic of occupational safety,” he says. “It can be described as a form of culture,” he says, adding: “What we do have is a motto and it is short and easy to understand: ‘First, we work safely, and then properly and quickly.’” Making things safe can also mean, for example, discussing in advance of a planned maintenance shutdown which steps of the project must be done in which way. This assessment also ensures that the work is carried out more efficiently because nothing has to be done twice.
Safety Award
During planned maintenance shutdowns, a particular challenge is coordinating up to 250 employees from approximately 30 partner firms. “Here, too, it is important to convey the right understanding and provide really thorough instructions, starting with the topics of protective goggles, helmets and shoes,” says Marko Szewczyk. For this thoroughness, the site was named the winner of the internal Safety Award for the year 2021 and placed second in 2022.