Four ways to ensure health and safety remains a priority in a pandemic
There is, understandably, a huge focus globally on ensuring that every space where people interact outside of their immediate household is Covid-safe.
As a company we guarantee this for our clients, consumers and of course our employees but we also have not lost our absolute commitment to health and safety in the traditional sense of the phrase.
Throughout Sodexo we are rigorous in our safety processes and employee training to ensure that every member of the Sodexo community takes all the necessary actions to ensure a ‘zero-harm’ mindset. These include risk assessments and the 3 vital checks for safety before completing any task.
Here are four steps to ensure health and safety remains a priority during a pandemic:
1. Comprehensive online health and safety training
Our health and safety training sessions are provided through online modules throughout the world but our teams in Poland have gone one step further and introduced virtual reality (VR) fire safety training module for facilities management employees. This VR training module covers the skills needed in a fire pump station.
Our employees are able to undergo the practical training in the inspection of a fire pump station in a completely safe virtual environment. The solution enables potential threats to be simulated without endangering the health of employees or the safety of devices.
Training using VR headsets is faster and cheaper than the traditional training method. The training can be conducted anywhere, each employee can be trained and examined directly at the client's premises or at our company's headquarters, meaning that between 40 – 100 liters of diesel fuel is saved per training session completed. A bonus benefit for the environment.
“This is an ideal solution, so that we can provide our employees with higher comfort and greater safety, while not exposing our clients to unplanned situations” Norbert Ślusarczyk, segment director corporate, Hard FM Sodexo Poland.
2. Identify hazards early and make corrective measures
Our restaurants in Finland have been commended for their exceptional occupational safety with almost five times fewer accidents at work than the industry average.
The Finnish team recognises that the crucial element when it comes to safety is the attitude of employees and ensure that every employee is committed to taking care of their own safety and that of their co-workers.
For example, at one location TUT Tietotalo restaurant in Tampere, the team drastically improved their occupational safety by introducing initiatives such as safety thank you cards, group safety training and every single employee completing safety observations and walks. These steps transformed the mindset of the whole team.
“The focus of our team is now on continuing to improve occupational safety, setting goals, completing observations to identify hazards early, implementing corrective measures and learning from any injuries which do occur.” Seppo Vartiainen, Occupational Safety Manager for Sodexo Finland
3. Engage every member of the team in a health and safety culture
Our team from Royal Stoke University Hospital in the UK created this health and safety rap to ensure every member of the team is truly invested in creating a health and safety culture.
Note: This video was created in 2018
4. Succeed in creating a zero-harm culture and keep going!
Our teams in the Middle East have set a new benchmark in Health & Safety by achieving a completely Lost-Time Injury (LTI) free year.
They have beaten their own record, raising the bar to another level, despite the challenging Covid-19 context. This achievement is the result of years of commitment, sustained efforts from every member of the team which reflects our shared priority and focus on zero-harm.
“I thank all the Middle East teams for making safety their priority. We have now set a new record and have to continue our efforts in putting health and safety in all we do.” Rachid Noujeim, CEO Sodexo Middle East
Find out more about our commitment to Health and Safety at Sodexo.