Joint Responsibilities for more Safety

It is among the most important tasks of a company to create a work environment in which the employees are – and remain – healthy, and in which workplace-related illnesses and accidents are prevented to the extent possible. For the international construction group HOCHTIEF, the issue has top priority and is consistently pursued and managed under the joint responsibility of all parties concerned.

Various directives and guidelines form the basis for an efficient occupational health and safety organization within the Group and ensure practice-oriented implementation. The requirement to offer maximum occupational health and safety is among our guiding principles and is held as an obligation for all employees in the HOCHTIEF Code of Conduct. Furthermore, defined minimum standards are described in a Group Directive. Employees are also encouraged to observe all statutory and official guidelines as well as to comply with the measures for risk-minimization identified by risk assessments.

Occupational health and safety organization at HOCHTIEF

Occupational health and safety are issues for which everyone bears equal responsibility. Individuals receive support from the occupational health and safety and environmental protection (OSHEP) organization in the HOCHTIEF Group. The OSHEP Center is the central competence center, the head of which reports directly to the Executive Board. It develops central occupational safety requirements, supports the managerial staff in its implementation in practice, and monitors compliance. Employees of this unit are involved in all phases of national and international projects.

The HOCHTIEF divisions, in which the operative business is organized, have drafted the standards for relevant structures and processes in terms of a structural and process organization. Management officers and technical experts in the divisions advise and support the Management Board as well as the project leaders. The OSHEP Center maintains contact with them as a primary link and ensures that reports are maintained. In order to integrate occupational health and safety into the entire project process, management systems were established in the divisions, which are oriented toward international standards such as BS OHSAS 18001. In fiscal year 2014, 89.5 percent of HOCHTIEF employees worldwide worked in appropriately certified units.

Identifying risks early as a basic requirement

It is a basic requirement for an effective safety management system to identify and assess risks early. Therefore, our safety experts already contribute their know-how in the bidding phase of projects. Subsequently, safety concepts are developed and continuously updated and adjusted during the course of the project.

It is important that all contractual partners also share our understanding of occupational health and safety. They must therefore accept the HOCHTIEF Code of Conduct. During the selection of partners and subcontractors, we also take into account their performance in occupational safety. If a company fails to meet the high requirements, HOCHTIEF reserves the right to exclude it from future contracts.

In the past, despite having an aboveaverage prevention organization, accidents – some also with severe and fatal consequences – unfortunately could not be completely excluded. In 2014, the accident frequency in the Group as a whole was 1.42 accidents per one million hours worked. At HOCHTIEF, accidents are recorded and analyzed by means of a graduated reporting system in order to understand the causes, develop new preventive measures, as well as optimize the processes.

Promoting an occupational safety culture through further education

In HOCHTIEF companies, the occupational safety culture varies significantly due to the different social systems in the respective countries. In order to develop a uniform culture in which everyone feels responsible, we attach great importance to continuous training. Employees are regularly trained internally as well as externally: Occupational health and safety are an integral component of the learning opportunities of the internal continuing educational institutions. They are regularly reported on in the corporate media, and employees are sensitized to this issue at numerous action days and during initiatives.