Ensuring safe workdays for all Lindströmers: a glimpse into our Health and Safety focus areas for 2024
In an ever-evolving workplace landscape, the importance of the health and safety of the workforce cannot be overstated. Lindstöm’s aim has been – and continues to be – ensuring a safe working environment for all Lindströmers and those who work with us. We want our employees to feel safe during the day, and that they return safely home after the day.
In recent years, we have taken great strides to ensure a safe working environment for our people. For instance, by adopting ISO 45 001 for Health & Safety management and by introducing the mobile tool to collect safety observations easily. Changing the culture takes time. Although tools cannot change the culture, we are fortunate that Lindströmers are open to taking the new tools in use to support this.
In 2024, the focus areas for our health and safety work continue to be the same as in 2023. That is, traffic safety, machine and fire safety, and mitigating slips, trips, and falls.
Working towards traffic safety for all
Every day, we all encounter traffic. And in traffic, we all have different roles, like being the drivers (in cars, mopeds or bicycles, passengers, or pedestrians. A safe experience for pedestrians and people in vehicles is a sum of many things. We want to support Lindströmers and our partners in adopting a safe traffic culture to keep them safe.
In 2024, we will be emphasising safe driving. Boosting traffic safety is not only for our own people and partners but also for all the other people in the traffic. This is a topic we are putting emphasis on based on the accident reports and safety observations. The statistics tells us, that accidents do happen. They lead to long absences and even fatalities – and we want to change this for the better.
Safe driving also aligns with our sustainability targets, so we promote eco-friendly driving courses for partners. Collaboration with the Finnish Road Safety Council extends our learnings globally and beyond Finland. We advocate for safe driving courses to support our holistic sustainability goals. In 2024, our emphasis on traffic safety aims to cultivate a culture of vigilance and responsibility among all personnel. From commuting to delivering our services daily, we aim to organise internal campaigns on traffic safety and how each of us can boost this throughout the year.
Traffic safety week visible in Lindström locations
The UN Global Road Safety Week takes place on 10-14 May 2024. This event is a key global campaign hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO). The goal is to raise awareness about road safety and prevent accidents.
This year, as part of Lindström’s traffic safety actions, events will be organized during the week in different company locations. The aim is to raise awareness of people’s own choices in traffic: how mobile phones can distract pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike and what role how you enter the traffic has with how you act.
Strengthening our ways of working to safeguard our people
In our commitment to fostering a secure workplace environment throughout the operations, when it comes to especially our laundry operations, the correct handling of machinery and fire safety is of interest. Accidents involving machinery malfunctions or fire outbreaks can have devastating consequences.
Ways of working are important. Not only when it comes to machine and fire safety, because many slips, trips and falls may be the effect of not working in the correct way. Even the most seemingly innocuous hazards, such as slippery surfaces or uneven flooring, can pose significant risks to employee well-being. We conduct regular assessments of workplace conditions, implementing appropriate signage, and foster a culture of safety and active safety observation reporting. We’re determined to create an environment where the risk for accidents are minimized.
The introduction of the 5S for ensuring the cleanliness and tidiness of all Lindström premises supports our aspiration to support machine and fire safety, the prevention of slips, trips, and falls, and the safety of our people after the workday.
What is 5S?
5S is a systematic approach to workplace organisation and efficiency. Regarding safety, each step of the principle plays a role in creating a safer environment.
It consists of five steps, each beginning with the letter ”S”, Sort – Set in order – Shine – Standardise – Sustain. These improve efficiency, safety, and overall productivity. We hope that by introducing the 5S principle, we can also foster a culture of safety among employees.
In addition, we will be putting special emphasis on organising first-aid training for all units in 2024. Should the worst happen, we want our people to have the basic skills to help not only themselves but their colleagues. The new HR system will enhance tracking safety training actions. This way, we can ensure that the people affected the most will receive the training.
Overall, Lindström’s focus areas for health and safety in 2024 demonstrate the company’s commitment to the wellbeing of its employees. In addition, the aim is to activate countries to set higher targets for safety observations. That will help to identify and mitigate risks in the workplace.
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