The safety and well-being of the employees is the top priority. To honour the employees, the global production facilities and service stations are all built to the same high standards, regardless of geography.
They never compromise on the work environment, even if local conditions in some places allow it.
Roles and responsibilities in safety
In 2023, safety continued to be a top priority across the organisation, personified by the mascot Safety Bob
In 2023, safety continued to be a top priority across the organisation, personified by the mascot Safety Bob, who travels the world to raise awareness around this important topic in a motivating and engaging way.
They have also continued to host the "Global Safety Hour” events every 6 months where they gather employees and managers to discuss current issues, roles and responsibilities in safety, as well as how to uphold the safety culture.
ISO 45001 efforts
In 2023, they continued to include sites under the ISO 45001 certification in supplement to ISO 9001, which covers all the production and service sites. Among other requirements, ISO 45001 obliges them to systematically identify risks and hazards to occupational health and safety, as well as to determine the necessary controls in collaboration with the employees.
The management principles are based on the well-established Plan-Do-Check-Act improvement cycle that supports continuous improvement. They expect to continue adding sites under the ISO 45001 certification in 2024.
New Safety Committee in 2023
In 2023, they saw a slight increase in reported safety incidents across the global production sites
In 2023, they saw a slight increase in reported safety incidents across the global production sites. It is difficult to know whether these numbers are based on an actual increase, or whether they are caused by increased awareness and a more transparent process for reporting.
Whatever the case, this development prompted them to launch a VIKING Safety Committee in mid-2023 with the clear purpose of building and adjusting the roadmap for avoiding safety incidents through targeted process optimisation, effective communication, knowledge-sharing and other local or global measures.
The decided efforts are based on detailed data analysis, and the methods used mirror global best practices. The Safety Committee consists of five experts and is chaired by a member of the top management.
Continued focus on safety
In a world that is constantly changing, so is safety. With the ongoing introduction of new products, new facilities, new materials and new production equipment, they are committed every day to ensuring that VIKING stays at the forefront of health and safety.
Going forward, they will continue to train all the managers and employees in safety procedures and safety behaviour, just as they will continue to expand the robust system for reporting safety issues.
