Occupational health and safety
- The physical and mental performance and motivation of employees are key to the success of the company
- Corporate health management (CHM) and occupational safety are the basis for this – even in countries where there are no government regulations
Actively promoting health
Part of GNFK StartThe health and well-being of its employees are important to the Schaeffler Group. As part of occupational health and safety activities work-related threats are being identified to reduce the risk of illness and accidents. The comprehensive approach of occupational health and safety also improves the working situation as well as the management and corporate culture in equal measure. Health programs go beyond what is legally required, e.g. the company not only accepts social responsibility but also promotes the best-possible performance. At the same time, increased health awareness improves competitiveness over the long term.
The Schaeffler Group also encourages personal empowerment through preventive health programs and provides information on healthy and safe behavior, e.g. in workshops on ergonomic workstations and personal consultations at the workplace. All employees can take advantage of a variety of training courses both during and outside of their working hours.
Responsible for the corporate health management (CHM) and occupational safety is the head of health and safety, as part of the HR function. CHM is based on the framework guidelines of the Luxembourg Declaration on Workplace Health Promotion of the European Union. Developed to ensure consistent quality across all locations, the CHM guidelines serve as a basis for healthy behavior for CHM officers at all locations. Information about health management and its operational requirements can also be found in the group-wide Energy, Environment, Health & Safety (EnEHS) management manual. Accordingly, each location has an appointed CHM officer who is responsible for these operations.
In order to identify suitable health improvement measures, the current state of health is analyzed, e.g. on the basis of workforce questionnaires and health reports available through health insurance providers. Based on these analyses and specific location-related requirements, local management works with the occupational health and safety officers to develop annual CHM plans, with a particular focus on implementing sustainable measures.Part of GNFK End
Awarded gold as part of Germany’s “Healthy Companies” initiative
The Schaeffler Group has implemented a whole host of projects and measures in recent years to maintain and continuously improve employee health and performance. Germany’s “Healthy Companies” initiative acknowledged the effectiveness and innovative approach of these projects in 2020.
Pragmatic solutions in a period of crisis
More than anything else, the year 2020 accelerated digitalization in health management. Responsibility and care in the Schaeffler Group do not end at the factory gates. The company was one of the first major enterprises to develop an online health platform for all of its employees in 2018. The Schaeffler Health Coach (SHC) can be used as an app or desktop version on private and business media in Germany. The portal provides information on health topics, shares everyday tips, and offers attractive options that can be booked directly via the platform. The tool also features a whole host of options, applications, and daily short videos. This telemedicine approach is complemented by doctors and health specialists. Another unique feature of the SHC is the focus on specific locations. While the global CHM team adds central information to the coach, location officers also have the opportunity to display offers tailored to each location.
The digital structures implemented represent a unique feature of the Schaeffler Group’s systematic CHM and an innovation that has proven to be key during the coronavirus pandemic. Analog measures were thus promptly transformed with minimal effort into digital offers, and long-term analog projects interconnected with digital offers. The platform’s success was confirmed by statistical analyses and positive feedback. The current situation has been used to make more improvements. An online training program for all functional sports was integrated at short notice during the first lockdown. Employees were given the opportunity to take part in a variety of classes at home, including yoga, tai chi, functional courses, and Pilates. This “digital gym” is now offered worldwide. A variety of digital workshops, training courses, and presentations were offered, too.
Reducing stress at the workplace
Part of GNFK StartThe Schaeffler Group relies on measures tailored to certain target groups, action fields, and general topics to effectively reduce stress at work. Numerous projects and measures were also implemented to maintain and continuously improve psychological, cognitive and physical performance.
- The “Schaeffler Health and Ergo Scout” project is worth mentioning in particular. The ergonomics project carried out at each of the locations significantly reduces sick leave resulting from musculoskeletal illnesses, focusing on preventing certain employee behaviors.
- A global workplace register identifies and visualizes physical and organizational stress as well as stress from the working environment. For employees with health limitations, a matching process can be used to identify suitable workplaces and thus promote reintegration.
- “Fit4Shift” is offered specifically for shift workers. Employees are made aware of shift-specific problems and how to prevent them during workshops.Part of GNFK End
Consistently high occupational safety standards worldwide
99.7 %
of all production sites are ISO 45001 certified1)
Part of GNFK StartIn order to comply with legal requirements and to further develop internal processes and standards for occupational health and safety, the Schaeffler Group uses a comprehensive Energy, Environment, Health & Safety (EnEHS) management system. This takes a variety of factors into account, including international occupational safety standards, and is audited group-wide in accordance with ISO 45001. Audits that could not be conducted on-site in 2020 were carried out digitally. Microsoft HoloLens made it possible to accompany plant inspections digitally. On-site inspections were reduced to a minimum and complied with the applicable guidelines. The coverage rate1) according to ISO 45001 is 99.7 % (prior year: 99.0 %) and has an impact not only on the company’s own workforce, but also, e.g. on service providers that work at a Schaeffler location.
According to the EnEHS management system, all managers and employees are required to comply with occupational safety regulations. They are also obliged to report unsafe situations or hazards to their supervisors. Managers are advised by specialists in occupational safety at the respective production sites when carrying out their responsibilities. The results of the discussions are reviewed regularly with the relevant members of the Executive Board. If necessary, further action will be taken. This ensures the ongoing development of the EnEHS management system.
The Schaeffler Group is committed to reducing occupational accidents annually by an average of 10 %. During the reporting period, the accident rate (LTIR)2) was reduced to 4.6 (prior year: 5.2), thus exceeding the annual reduction target of 10 % for the fourth year in a row.Part of GNFK End
Accident rate
10 % average annual reduction of accident rate (LTIR) by 2024
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-Being
The “Safe Work@Schaeffler” project was initiated to maintain this positive trend and achieve the strategic objective. Focus areas in terms of actions and plants were identified using a differentiated approach. On the basis of safety assessments and awareness workshops, plant-specific measures are developed within the project to increase awareness of occupational safety and thus reduce occupational accidents over the long term. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, implementation at the first pilot plants has been postponed until 2021.
More information on occupational safety in the supply chain can be found in the chapter “Minimum requirements for suppliers ”.
Occupational safety during the coronavirus pandemic
Due to the spread of the coronavirus in China, crisis management teams were called into action across all regions in January 2020. An additional central crisis management team initially coordinated with the Executive Board on current developments on a daily basis.
The health of all employees was a top priority. A multistage, risk-based pandemic plan containing over 150 individual measures was developed and continuously updated to minimize infection. All of the workplaces were also evaluated in terms of the risk of infection and adapted in line with the applicable distancing and hygiene rules. A comprehensive communication concept ensured that all employees could be reached through various media. Daily information contained the latest developments, current measures, and the state of infection. The concept also demanded global communication of revised hygiene standards.
0
coronavirus infections at the workplace
In March 2020, the Schaeffler Group began using capacities to test local suspected cases early on. In October, the company also started offering rapid testing to all employees at the European locations, thus preventing any coronavirus infections at the workplace in 2020.
More information on Schaeffler crisis management.
1) Relating to employees on the production sites.
2) Measurement of Lost Time Injury Rate, LTIR = occupational accidents from one lost day per 1 million hours worked. Employees, including temporary staff, apprentices, and interns.
3) Interim target set for 2020 of 4.7 was exceeded.