Health and safety

As an employer, the KION Group is responsible for the health and safety of its employees. A dedicated action field in the KION sustainability strategy underscores the significance of occupational health and safety to the Company. It focuses on preventing accidents and work-related illnesses as far as possible, as well as safeguarding each individual’s long-term capacity to work. The activities address practically all of its employees. Over 90 percent of the Group’s* employees are represented by health and safety employee committees. Virtually all* (over 98 percent) of KION employees are trained on occupational health and safety topics. And it also involves its business partners, suppliers and guests in its measures.

The KION health, safety and environment (HSE) policy sets out the framework conditions. Based on this Group policy, in the area of health, safety and environment the KION Group commits, among other things, to provide and maintain a safe working environment and safeguard employees from risks and accidents. The Group policy is supplemented by the operating units’ and Group companies’ additional guidelines. Among them, the Linde Service Guide contains detailed regulations for employees in the sales and service organisation.

The Group-wide HSE network of experts ensures knowledge is shared within the KION HSE organisation. Once a year, those responsible for HSE at its plants and sales and service units meet, discuss their projects and share experiences and best practices.

As at the end of the reporting year* 84 percent of employees had access to a works doctor. Over 91 percent* of employees were able to take advantage of occupational health examinations. Voluntary health measures were available to 77 percent* of employees, with health training courses offered to over 64 percent* of employees. Besides its range of health protection seminars, the KION Group also encourages employees to engage in sporting activities. Currently, 17 reporting entities* offer their employees use of a fitness facility.

As with the topic of environmental protection, internal communication is a critical success factor for embedding the topic of HSE within the Company and in making it part of the corporate culture. This is why it also raises its employees’ awareness of occupational health and safety topics via the HSE site on its Group-wide intranet, which gives them practical online tips including on how to go about their work safely (see also the section Internal communication and corporate culture as critical success factors).

Minimum HSE standards for all organisational units

In 2016 the development of the KION Group’s entire HSE organisation was continued. On the basis of this, it is developing Company-wide minimum HSE standards for all plants and its sales and service organisation – a process it will complete during the course of 2017. Each unit’s management systems are to be fully certified in accordance with OHSAS 18001 or an equivalent standard (> Table 25).

In the reporting year, it performed nine central HSE audits (> Table 26). This was in addition to 901 local* internal audits and 63 external audits in the field of occupational health and safety. Furthermore, it also started assessing all locations in relation to their potential HSE risks.

Clear benchmarks defined

The KION Group gathers all occupational health and safety KPIs and measures as part of its monthly reporting activities. As of the end of 2016, it further developed the scope of its reporting. The core benchmarks for measuring the success of its efforts in the area of occupational health and safety are its health rate (as at 2016*: 96.2 percent¹) and its LTIFR (Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate – as at 2016*: 14.8).

In the reporting year, the KION Group* registered 622 Lost Time Injuries, i.e. occupational accidents with a lost time of more than one working day. In addition, it recorded 1,386 minor injuries* and 243 commuting accidents*. It registered no fatal accidents. In the reporting year, 12,913 working days were lost within the KION Group* owing to accidents. It sets clear targets based on these KPIs.

¹ Based on revised definitions, there is a difference to the values presented in the Annual Report 2016.

KION Safety Championship

The KION Safety Championship is a further way in which it encourages continual engagement with HSE topics. Ever since 2014, each year a jury crowns its greatest HSE achievements in this internal competition. The assessment covers the number and frequency of occupational accidents resulting in the loss of over one working day, the health rate and location-specific initiatives to promote health and safety at work. In future, environmental aspects will also be included in this assessment. In the reporting period Linde Material Handling EMEA’s Shipping and Logistics department in Aschaffenburg was crowned champion for 2015. Over 40 teams from around the world took part once again in 2016.

With a constant increase in the number of contributions, it is proof that this format is effective. In 2016 alone, 966 HSE improvement measures were reported and implemented as part of the competition. These range from preventative measures such as the occupational health and safety week at KION South America, additional safety measures such as at its plant in Xiamen, through to motivational measures like its ‘100 days accident-free’ at STILL EMEA at Luzzara, Italy.