Working safely calls for constant attention. In addition to the right working conditions, safety has to do with our behaviour. At the end of the day, everyone wants to guarantee their own safety and that of their colleagues. The ‘Safety by Nature’ safety campaign contributes to this.
The ‘Safety by Nature’ campaign includes information on the use of personal protection equipment and the organisation of safety days. The programme also encourages colleagues to call each other to account for their behaviour. At the Avebe production sites in Gasselternijveen and Foxhol, the ‘Safety by Nature’ teams go a step further.
FOR EVERYONE
SAFETY IS
“We started the safety program in Foxhol last year”, says Sandy de Bies, QESH Manager at Avebe at the Foxhol site. “This program focuses on the individual and the behaviour of the individual. We don't want our employees to do anything because they have to, but because they can see for themselves that it's better to do so.” A safe working environment is very important to De Bies. Yet, according to her, private circumstances can also have an impact on work. Work pressure and stress can also play a role,
she explains.
The ‘Safety by Nature’ initiative has been
well received by colleagues in Foxhol. Especially during the training days, employees became enthusiastic and new initiatives were born. “We learned that each employee has his or her own influence on his or her own safety and that of his or her colleagues. We're now working on this in teams and concrete points for improvement have been identified. Managers talk to their people about safety on the basis of discussion cards. The focus is on unsafe situations
over which we ourselves have control.
An installer, for example, always wants to secure the system so that work can be carried out without danger.” According to Sandy, new positive experiences are needed to work safely. “Our goal is clear: no accidents. On 18 April 2019, we had worked 365 days without accidents at our location. We would like this to continue! Ultimately, we all want to end our working day with ten fingers and ten toes.”
“Everyone has their own influence on their own safety.”
QESH MANAGER FOXHOL
| SANDY DE BIES
“You have more influence than you think.”
IMPROVE MANAGER GASSELTERNIJVEEN
| RUUD TIMMER
“In my role as a member of the management team, I wanted to work with a team to raise safety at the Gasselternijveen site to a higher level”, says Ruud Timmer, Improve Manager at Avebe Gasselternijveen. “The safety days with training from the safety campaign ‘Safety by Nature’ appealed to me. People who wanted to do their bit volunteered to join the Safety by Nature team after those training sessions. All twenty-five team members are highly motivated and have ideas for improvement.”
Operator Emmo Dijkhuis signed up for the Safety by Nature team. “I think safety and working safely are very important. We sometimes work under pressure with equipment and chemicals, so you have to stay focused. Since November, we've been discussing how to raise safety awareness.”
All levels are represented in the team. Action is also taken outside the team. With the help of discussion cards, the management discusses a new topic with the team every two weeks. “Even if it only takes 15 minutes, we always have contact. Making safety a topic of discussion took some getting used to”, says Dijkhuis.
From these short sessions, the team gets the most important points and actions. There are already some good solutions: “We've purchased cut-resistant gloves in a workplace where people often cut their hands on sharp machine parts. The footwear in the laundry has also been modified, making colleagues less likely to slip.” Dijkhuis has noticed that you have more influence than you think. “The positive approach to dealing with unsafe situations makes this programme easily accessible. Anyone can come up with solutions. This is how we obtained good input about the top 8 of biggest annoyances. At the top were the fumes in the plant and dust emissions in the drying kiln.” Timmer: “We can't build a new factory, but we can make meaningful changes to avoid these annoyances. The Safety by Nature team is well on its way. We want to continue to focus on safety in a low-threshold way.”
Theo Reindorp is Director of QESH, Regulatory & Strategic Programmes of Avebe. Together with his team, he is responsible for the development, implementation and continuous improvement of safety at Avebe.
THEO REINDORP
“We've been measuring the number
of accidents at our locations for years. Despite all our efforts, we saw that the the number of accidents had not fallen further in the last two years. Safety cannot always be solved with technology. The way we work together is just as important. In the safety campaign ‘Safety by Nature’ we also focus on the behaviour of people and the culture of the organisation. This is also addressed extensively during training days for our employees. Here we practice and discuss practical experiences in particular. ‘Safety by Nature’ is now mainly focused on the production locations in Gasselternijveen and Foxhol and a start has been made in Ter Apelkanaal. Later in 2019, we'll also be working at other locations. We want everyone to speak the Safety by Nature language!”
Watch our video about Safety by Nature here:
Safe at work, safely home
SAFETY IS
FOR EVERYONE
Working safely calls for constant attention. In addition to the right working conditions, safety has to do with our behaviour. At the end of the day, everyone wants to guarantee their own safety and that of their colleagues. The ‘Safety by Nature’ safety campaign contributes to this.
The ‘Safety by Nature’ campaign includes information on the use of personal protection equipment and the organisation of safety days. The programme also encourages colleagues to call each other to account for their behaviour. At the Avebe production sites in Gasselternijveen and Foxhol, the ‘Safety by Nature’ teams go a step further.
“Everyone has their own influence on their own safety.”
QESH MANAGER FOXHOL
SANDY DE BIES
“We started the safety program in Foxhol last year”, says Sandy de Bies, QESH Manager at Avebe at the Foxhol site. “This program focuses on the individual and the behaviour of the individual. We don't want our employees to do anything because they have to, but because they can see for themselves that it's better to do so.” A safe working environment is very important to De Bies. Yet, according to her, private circumstances can also have an impact on work. Work pressure and stress can also play a role,
she explains.
The ‘Safety by Nature’ initiative has been
well received by colleagues in Foxhol. Especially during the training days, employees became enthusiastic and new initiatives were born. “We learned that each employee has his or her own influence on his or her own safety and that of his or her colleagues. We're now working on this in teams and concrete points for improvement have been identified. Managers talk to their people about safety on the basis of discussion cards. The focus is on unsafe situations
over which we ourselves have control.
An installer, for example, always wants to secure the system so that work can be carried out without danger.” According to Sandy, new positive experiences are needed to work safely. “Our goal is clear: no accidents. On 18 April 2019, we had worked 365 days without accidents at our location. We would like this to continue! Ultimately, we all want to end our working day with ten fingers and ten toes.”
“You have more influence than you think.”
IMPROVE MANAGER GASSELTERNIJVEEN
RUUD TIMMER
“In my role as a member of the management team, I wanted to work with a team to raise safety at the Gasselternijveen site to a higher level”, says Ruud Timmer, Improve Manager at Avebe Gasselternijveen. “The safety days with training from the safety campaign ‘Safety by Nature’ appealed to me. People who wanted to do their bit volunteered to join the Safety by Nature team after those training sessions. All twenty-five team members are highly motivated and have ideas for improvement.”
Operator Emmo Dijkhuis signed up for the Safety by Nature team. “I think safety and working safely are very important. We sometimes work under pressure with equipment and chemicals, so you have to stay focused. Since November, we've been discussing how to raise safety awareness.”
All levels are represented in the team. Action is also taken outside the team. With the help of discussion cards, the management discusses a new topic with the team every two weeks. “Even if it only takes 15 minutes, we always have contact. Making safety a topic of discussion took some getting used to”, says Dijkhuis.
From these short sessions, the team gets the most important points and actions. There are already some good solutions: “We've purchased cut-resistant gloves in a workplace where people often cut their hands on sharp machine parts. The footwear in the laundry has also been modified, making colleagues less likely to slip.” Dijkhuis has noticed that you have more influence than you think. “The positive approach to dealing with unsafe situations makes this programme easily accessible. Anyone can come up with solutions. This is how we obtained good input about the top 8 of biggest annoyances. At the top were the fumes in the plant and dust emissions in the drying kiln.” Timmer: “We can't build a new factory, but we can make meaningful changes to avoid these annoyances. The Safety by Nature team is well on its way. We want to continue to focus on safety in a low-threshold way.”
THEO REINDORP
Theo Reindorp is Director of QESH, Regulatory & Strategic Programmes of Avebe. Together with his team, he is responsible for the development, implementation and continuous improvement of safety at Avebe.
“We've been measuring the number
of accidents at our locations for years. Despite all our efforts, we saw that the the number of accidents had not fallen further in the last two years. Safety cannot always be solved with technology. The way we work together is just as important. In the safety campaign ‘Safety by Nature’ we also focus on the behaviour of people and the culture of the organisation. This is also addressed extensively during training days for our employees. Here we practice and discuss practical experiences in particular. ‘Safety by Nature’ is now mainly focused on the production locations in Gasselternijveen and Foxhol and a start has been made in Ter Apelkanaal. Later in 2019, we'll also be working at other locations. We want everyone to speak the Safety by Nature language!”
Watch our video about Safety by Nature here:
Safe at work, safely home