Health, prevention and occupational safety
We actively promote the health of our employees and provide them with a safe working environment. This is our way of building and maintaining an able-bodied and motivated workforce. Here is a brief overview of our health management and occupational safety initiatives.
Employee safety is our first priority
We are responsible for the safety of our employees. Certain occupational groups, such as delivery personnel, drivers or machine operators, are particularly vulnerable to the risk of accident and/or exposure to hazardous materials. To ensure their safety and security, we regularly conduct workplace inspections, including inspections of relevant equipment and machinery, as well as workplace safety and accident prevention trainings. In 2012, Occupational Safety at Deutsche Post DHL was once again certified according to the DIN EN ISO 9001:2008 quality management standard. Our Corporate Health Policy ensures that these safety standards are adhered to throughout the Group.
Working days lost due to accidents decrease
Our employees are regularly briefed on safety in the workplace through a series of preventive occupational safety measures. The Occupational Safety team supports around 200,000 employees in our companies throughout Germany alone.
Measured against the risk-level of the various areas of operation, the number of accidents (Deutsche Post AG) remains at a comparably low level. In 2012, the number of workplace accidents was 14,441. The severe winter, and resulting weather-related accidents, was a major contributor to the increase. At the same time, the number of working days lost per accident was down to 22, which was significantly lower than the previous year. This suggests that the severity of the accidents has decreased.
Prevention – the key to avoiding occupational injury
Deutsche Post DHL organized a second Group-wide World Safety Day in April 2012 following the success of the 2011 event. World Safety Day 2012 featured a total of 170 different initiatives designed to raise occupational safety awareness among employees, with a focus on "personal protective equipment". Another World Safety Day is planned for 2013.
Deutsche Post DHL maintains a Group-wide occupational safety network to facilitate cooperation and exchange among the occupational safety experts throughout the Group. Today this network comprises approximately 140 members in 56 countries and regions.
Examples of work safety initiatives in 2012 include the development of Pedelec delivery bicycles and innovative wheeled containers for parcels. For delivery personnel, special training included bicycle safety, walking safety, as well as tips on how to deal with aggressive dogs.
Health management
Our aim is to promote the health and well-being of our employees. To this end, we provide employees with a healthy work environment and organize a wide range of activities to encourage them to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Our Corporate Health Policy is the basis for implementing our health management system throughout the Group. This policy is supported by the Deutsche Post DHL Forum in the joint statement on health management and occupational safety.
