Health, safety & wellbeing performance 2007/08
We said:
We would reduce work-related accidents resulting in lost time by 10% by March 2008 (from the 2005/06 baseline).
We have:
Reduced work-related lost-time accidents by 17%
The number of work-related accidents resulting in lost time for employees decreased by 17% to 131 in 2007/08, compared with 157 the previous year. Of these, 118 were reported in Europe and 13 in the EMAPA (Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Pacific) region. As a result, we have met our target to reduce work-related accidents resulting in lost time by 10% by March 2008, with a total reduction of 13% from the 2005/06 baseline. Our lost time incident rate of 2.19 lost time incidents per 1,000 employees in 2007/08 has also declined by 17% from 2.64 in 2006/07.
Eleven of the 17 operating companies we are reporting on demonstrated consistent or improved performance in 2007/08 compared with the previous year. In particular there have been big improvements in lost time incidents in both Germany and Italy.
We are continuing to improve our reporting systems. In 2007/08, we created a global incident reporting system to enable operating companies to record incidents online. This will be made available for all operating companies that do not already have alternative systems.
Regrettably suffered seven fatalities among contractors
In 2007/08, 16 serious work related incidents were reported through our global reporting process. We deeply regret that tragically seven of these incidents resulted in fatalities. All seven fatal incidents involved individuals employed by third party contractors working on Vodafone network deployment activities.
Five of these fatalities occurred in Turkey: two falling from a tower, two traffic accidents and one electrocution. These incidents were fully investigated in conjunction with Motorola, our main contractor in Turkey. Vodafone Turkey was acquired in December 2005 and processes to integrate Vodafone health and safety systems in Turkey are ongoing. The newly appointed Health, Safety and Wellbeing Manager at Vodafone Turkey has developed plans to implement improvements in 2008/09. The remaining two fatalities occurred in Egypt, where two contractors fell from a tower. We have investigated these incidents in conjunction with Ericsson Egypt.
We have increased our focus on health and safety in Turkey and Egypt. Our investigation of the root causes of the fatalities has identified two main issues. These are related to the selection process for high risk contractors and the management of sub-contractors by our direct suppliers, particularly in training and supervision. Representatives from our Global Health Safety & Wellbeing and Group Supply Chain teams are working with suppliers to identify and implement improvements.
The nine other significant incidents reported related to: contractors falling from towers or roof tops; car accidents attributed to fatigue or poor vehicle maintenance; members of the public injured when struck by falling objects or vehicles; a wound to a contractor from a firearm; contractors being electrocuted.
Achieved scores higher than 75% in 16 operating companies in the HS&W Management System Audit
In 2007/08, sixteen operating companies recorded audit scores of 75% or higher in our Annual Health, Safety and Wellbeing Management System Audit. A number of local operating companies were identified as needing to improve reporting of lost time due to sickness and the percentage of new starters that complete induction training on health, safety and wellbeing.
Published a new guide for suppliers and contractors
We have published health and safety guidance in the new Vodafone suppliers' guide, Working with Vodafone. The guide explains the health and safety systems and commitments we expect from the companies we work with. It emphasises the importance of leadership, people management systems and evaluations, training, incident reporting systems and auditing systems, as well as appropriate infrastructure and equipment.
The guide explains that we require suppliers and service providers to meet all relevant statutory requirements and that health, safety and wellbeing standards must be equal to (if not better than) Vodafone minimum standards. Suppliers must work with us to ensure continual improvement and demonstrate good performance.
Monitored employee wellbeing
We are reporting for the first time absence due to sickness, which we view as an important indicator of employee wellbeing. Ten operating companies tracked and reported this indicator in 2007/08: Australia, Egypt, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Turkey. These ten operating companies reported a total of 165,653 days lost due to sickness in 2007/08. The other operating companies are in the process of establishing robust processes to consolidate and report this data.
Employees are asked about their wellbeing as part of our Global People Survey. Of those surveyed in 2007/08, 57% of our employees say their operating company takes a genuine interest in their wellbeing. This is an increase of 15% from 2005. Of those surveyed, 70% say their managers support them in achieving a good work-life balance – 13% above the high performing norm. See communication and involvement for further information on the People Survey. Vodafone will continue to launch initiatives on flexible working and invest in a range of other wellbeing programmes in 2008/09.
Updated our Group Health & Safety Policy
We reviewed and updated the policy for inclusion in our Group Governance Manual. A series of 14 standards complement the policy, covering a range of specific issues such as: mobile phones and driving; working at height; managing health and safety risks of radiofrequency fields; emergency planning and response; risk assessment; and incident investigation and reporting.
Developed a product safety and assurance policy
In March 2008, we introduced a new Product Safety and Assurance Policy to ensure all the products we buy and sell are safe for use by employees, customers or anyone else who comes into contact with them. The policy requires Vodafone and its suppliers to comply with all legislation relating to the safe design, testing, handling, storage, use, maintenance and disposal of products. See Product safety.
Introduced toolkits on employee wellbeing and safe driving
We distributed a wellbeing toolkit to all operating companies in 2007/08. These can be adapted for local use, but ensure consistent messaging and look across the Group. The toolkit explains the importance of employee wellbeing to Vodafone and describes our efforts to improve wellbeing and support employees suffering from stress or other problems at work. See wellbeing.
We also introduced a leaflet and an employee brochure on safe driving, entitled ‘Are you handsfree?’. The brochure outlines the main messages of our Global Policy on Mobile Phones and Driving. It includes our 'safe driving rules of the road' and describes the disciplinary measures that we will take against employees using mobiles unsafely while driving. See Driving safety. We are planning a global campaign to raise awareness of the toolkits in 2008/09.
Established more flexible working spaces
We continued to promote flexible working in 2007/08 by creating work places designed for people who move between home and the office in several operating companies. These facilities help create a workplace where flexible working is embedded in the culture, and promote collaborative working. See wellbeing.
We will:
- Reduce work-related accidents resulting in lost time by 10% by March 2011 (from the 2007/08 baseline)
- Increase our Global Wellbeing People Survey score by 10% by March 2011 (from the 2007/08 baseline).
