The United Nations has marked 28 April as the World Day for Safety and Health at Work to encourage employers and employees to build a positive safety and health culture within their working environment. At Koppert, this is part of our Social Sustainability commitment and one of our core values.
‘Making our Health, Safety measures more visible at Koppert is one of my missions,’ says the Head of Human Resources, Annemieke van Agthoven. ‘We are actively developing a health and safety culture in which everyone participates. Social dialogue within the working environment is essential to build ownership commitment for the implementation of occupational health and safety policies and strategies.’
‘Our daily health and safety practices start with the training and education of our employees. All new employees undergo an extensive orientation programme that includes health and safety training. Additionally, all employees receive regular training on topics such as hazard identification, emergency response, and safe work practices,’ Annemieke adds.
The health crisis during the COVID pandemic, showed us all how important it is to include meaningful participation of employers, workers, governments, and other relevant parties at local and national level to protect working environments and safeguard the safety and health of workers. One of our core values, ‘We Are Family’, came into its own during this crisis to bring us together for an effective social dialogue in which to find solutions.
‘It’s important that there is effective social dialogue and active participation in the occupational safety and health decision-making processes,’ says Health Safety and Environment specialist, Jurmy van der Wal. ‘The global health crisis gave us an active impulse and we must continue to move towards building a strong safety and health culture at all levels. Something that is visible every day.’
‘Health and safety are not side issues,’ Jurmy emphasizes. ‘Workers need to feel comfortable raising concerns about possible health and safety risks in the workplace and management should be proactive in finding effective and sustainable solutions. We are encouraging open communication and dialogue built on mutual trust and respect. At Koppert we need each other to perform at our best and be productive in a safe and healthy environment.’
An inclusive social sustainability
Social sustainability is a critical aspect of our operations. We strive to be an organization where people work with pleasure in a safe environment to achieve our ambitions and where we pay daily attention to the development, talents and ambitions of our own employees so that employability is strengthened.
We believe in investing in our employees' professional development. We provide training and development programmes that help employees acquire new skills and knowledge, and advance their careers. This approach helps to create a skilled and motivated workforce that is capable of driving innovation and growth.
We are committed to creating an inclusive work environment where everyone is treated with respect and dignity and encouraging diversity and value the unique perspectives and experiences that each employee brings to the table.