More ambitious safety target

Vision of zero workplace accidents

SCA has a vision of zero workplace accidents at all of its units. To achieve this goal, the company must continuously reduce its accident frequency rate, meaning the number of accidents per million hours worked. SCA’s target to reduce its accident frequency rate by 25% between 2011 and 2016 was achieved ahead of schedule in 2014, and we have now adopted a new target for the period from 2014 to 2020. We have raised our ambitions significantly, and our new target is to reduce our accident frequency rate by 50%.

Creating a safety culture

A number of important tools will be required if we are to successfully meet this target. Policies, management systems, follow-up and control are examples of tools that facilitate initiatives for improving health and increasing safety. However, perhaps the most important step will be to create a culture that always places health and safety first. Our first-ever Global Safety Week in 2015, in which employees across the world participated, is an example of an activity designed to promote such a culture.

SCA’s control system also includes minimizing risk by providing training for managers, employees and partners. Each SCA plant has procedures in place to increase workplace safety. The international OHSAS standard also serves as a tool to help SCA promote a systematic approach and continuous improvement of the work environment.

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Global commitment to safety

All employees should be able to return home from work safely, and workplace safety is a top priority. As part of efforts to create a safety culture, SCA held its first Global Safety Week.

The week included a number of exciting, innovative and important initiatives around the world. At many locations, employees’ families and friends were engaged via a video competition and poster campaigns, thus extending the message of safety beyond the workplace The campaign also gained visibility in the media.

In Malaysia, teams competed in intense games, competitions and workshops – all with a focus on the theme of health and safety. The schedule also included a rigorous aerobics class. The local office in Spain invited children from a nearby school to a live demonstration of a rescue by the fire department, while employees in France had the opportunity to try out the role of a forklift operator in an effort to increase awareness of why it is important to follow safety rules.

“I am very proud that the first SCA Global Safety Week turned into a truly global project, reaching approximately 30,000 SCA employees with a strong and consistent safety message around the value of working together as one team and returning safely home every day to enjoy families and relatives,” says Mario Forte, Director Global Hygiene Supply Tissue.

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Accidents to be halved by 2020

SCA is further raising its ambition with respect to occupational health and safety. The number of lost time accidents (LTAs) is to be reduced by 50% by 2020 (base year 2014). This new target will replace the Group’s previous target to reduce the number of LTAs by 25% by 2016, which was achieved ahead of schedule in 2014.

In order to achieve the new target, a large number of activities have been planned, including additional Safety Days, risk assessments, safety competitions and internal information campaigns.

All operations within SCA are to be certified according to the OHSAS 18001 safety standard by 2020. This also applies to acquired operations, which are to be certified within three years of acquisition.

The vision is for there to be zero accidents at all of SCA’s plants and a number of operations live up to this vision every year (see fact box).

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Workplaces for all ages

SCA regularly conducts analysis around upcoming demographic challenges and generational shifts, and it became obvious that absence related to musculoskeletal problems increased with age. As a result, SCA initiated two pilot projects.

“Our investigations showed a rise in absence with age, and that in some cases musculoskeletal issues were responsible for up to 70% of absences,” says Astrid Manquin, SCA Human Resources Director.

The insight resulted in workplace ergonomics surveys at the Hoogezand personal care plant in the Netherlands and the Neuss tissue plant in Germany.

“The surveys resulted in a list of areas we wanted to improve. Technical as well as behavioral and organizational improvements have been made to create more ergonomic production lines. It’s possible to solve the most critical areas with a relatively small budget.”

In Hoogezand, transporting carts now have higher handles to avoid bending, raised platforms make loading packaging easier and a lifting device helps to load the wrapping. In Neuss, a new tool was developed to further reduce the effort needed by workers to separate paper rolls. During 2016, SCA will launch a project to deploy site-wide awareness, training in ergonomics, and new technical solutions in the selected sites. “Such initiatives help our employees to work more healthily for longer, and we hope it further contributes to employee satisfaction and engagement.” says Astrid Manquin.