CORPORATE & STRATEGY
100-percent safe
The safety challenges at work and production locations are constantly changing. To deal with this dynamic, the Nutrition Segment places particular importance on a culture of safety. This also includes the launch of Ten Golden Rules.
Safety at work is a dynamic process. As a company and employee, it is repeatedly required to apply the right preventive measures. A work culture in which behavior and attention are steeped in the aspect of safety is an important step toward preventing accidents. Gustavo Larsen, Global Safety Director within Nutrition, took office at early 2019 with the goal of developing and sustainably establishing such a culture of safety at all Nutrition locations. Gustavo and his team began by analyzing the status quo in the different locations. Eighty percent of all accidents at Nutrition could be attributed to a few existing risks at all locations. Among the greatest risk factors at the locations in general are working at heights, vehicle traffic, log-out tag-out processes, which regulates zero energy state during interventions on machinery and equipment, fire prevention and the handling of chemical substances. Based on these findings, a plan of action was developed to prevent accidents from occurring in the first place. A process of systematic and wide sharing of accidents (explanation, causes and corresponding lessons learned to prevent them) was also implemented within all Nutrition, to boost experience sharing and serve a collaborative learning process. Ten Golden Rules for driving preventive safety were therefore defined to be followed by all employees. In the first year after the introduction of these new processes, accidents at work at Nutrition were already reduced by more than half.

In workshops, all LATAM region employees were taught the “Ten Golden Rules” and went through safe work processes.

Managers and employees from all areas are constantly working on further improvements and are sharing them with other plants.
Jerry Rodriguez, Site manager
A good example of the successful implementation of the new ap nproach and a lived safety culture is the production site of the Business Unit Aqua in Costa Rica. At the beginning of 2019, there were still some work accidents that were mainly due to human behavior. Since a workshop on occupational safety was conducted in February 2020, the site has been accident-free. A success that was only possible through the personal commitment of all employees. The topic of safety is now also part of the monthly business review. The team is very proud to show and share its progress. “Managers and employees from all areas are constantly working on further improvements and are sharing them with other plants,” says site manager Jerry Rodriguez. Thanks to the rapid progress, the plant in Costa Rica is now a reference and regularly exchanges best practices and safety initiatives with other Symrise Nutrition facilities in the LATAM region.
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