Safety report of the month

Safety in the workplace is a top priority. To promote this further, we have started this year with something new: each month, we select and award an employee who positively commits themselves to their own and their colleagues’ safety. To stay on theme, the winner receives a high-quality smoke detector.

The winner is selected from reports made in our QUEENS system. QUEENS stands for quality, environment, energy and safety. The system was introduced in 2014 in all VPK Group’ business units. Safety Officer Tom De Rybel was involved in the realization of the system. “QUEENS allows employees to digitally report unsafe situations in the workplace or to positively honor a colleague.”

“As safety employee, I select three reports each month,” Tom continues. “The operations team, including the Plant Manager, Production Manager, Technical Service, HR, and myself, selects a winner from these three reports by way of voting.”

As well as more attention for safety, the goal of the monthly award is to increase the number of preventative reports. To further improve the safety in the workplace, before accidents get a change to occur.

Last year, around 80 reports came in each month, from both managers and colleagues from the plant floor. The reports are discussed daily during the daymeeting. Since January, three reports are selected from the total reports that come in. “The new initiative will be evaluated in December, but we have received positive responses so far,” says Tom.