Employee safety and health are values of supreme importance in the Bazan Group. The Group’s operations in these areas are conducted consistently by means of the safety committees and an annual safety plan. The topic of safety is an integral part of the Group’s code of ethics which has been approved by the Company's management and written by a corporate ethics and governance forum (which includes employee representatives).
As part of the ongoing dialogue between management and employees, there is in the Bazan Group a safety committee which comprises 50% management representatives and 50% employee representatives. The committee holds meetings which are joined by observers from the employees’ council. It meets at least once a month for discussions which are documented in minutes. The minutes are published for all employees. Among other matters, the committee deals with:
• Review of safety events such as accidents and their consequences.
• Formulation and implementation of plant safety plans.
• Implementation of regional safety surveys.
• Reference to exceptional safety events.
• Safety training plans.
• Instructions and recommendations for contractors working with the Bazan Group.
• Standards Institute tests.
• Recommendations of safety changes and improvements to prevent the recurrence of accidents and strive for maintenance of high safely levels in the organization.
• Issuing of orders to carry out various safety tests.
As part of the employee safety and health code of ethics, the Bazan Group places an emphasis on various aspects such as:
Implementation of the highest level of safety – the Bazan Group insists on the highest level of safety standards in the work environment and works hard for the safety of its employees. The Group makes consistent efforts to ensure that it is in compliance with all the requisite safety regulations and draws conclusions from “accident” or “almost accident” events.
Employee training – the Bazan Group holds professional safety training sessions for its employees which give them the tools they need to implement all safety requirements in its facilities. The Company supplies its employees with detailed explanations of the actions they are required to take, including the necessary safety measures, and emphasizes the risks involved.
Safe work obligation – the Bazan Group obliges its employees to implement all safety instructions as they are and encourages them to issue alerts of safety violations or hazards. These reports are sent immediately to those responsible or to the Group’s management, in order that conclusions may be drawn and improvements to the work environment be made. The Bazan Group’s employees moving around its premises (and outside them) are obligated to comply with all traffic laws.
Employee health in the Bazan Group
Great emphasis is placed on employee health in the Bazan Group. The Group arranges regular medical testing for its employees. These tests are carried out when employees start work and they are conducted periodically. They comply with the law and directives from the Ministry of Labor. Each employee undergoes tests which are determined inter alia on the basis of the risks to which they are exposed at work. Employees have a health journal which is updated in accordance with their activities in the Group and from time to time updates regarding disease prevention are sent to all employees. The Group operates authorized occupational clinics where employees receive medical services from professional teams of nurses and doctors. The medical team in these clinics is responsible among other things for promoting health awareness among Group employees. This includes topics such as nutrition, healthy lifestyle. Employees at risk receive additional targeted instruction as required.
Firefighting
The Bazan Group’s fire prevention setup operates from the Company's premises under the direction of the Haifa Region Municipal Association – Firefighting Services. The setup has a firefighting station which is staffed around the clock (with two firefighters and a shift manager on standby), a pair of fire trucks equipped with industrial portable means of transport, high-capacity mobile propellers, an ATV equipped with a water mist system, emergency trailers for replacement, fire extinguishers, hoses, a decision-making mechanism, a system of pumps and piping that is networked throughout the Group's facilities, water reservoirs in various locations and more.
The Group’s firefighting unit is responsible for the existence and the implementation of an orderly plan for carrying out corrective monthly safety exercises relating to a variety of scenarios and ways of dealing with them. Once a year the Group holds comprehensive exercises in cooperation with Israel Police, the Municipal Association – Firefighting Services, Magen David Adom, the Haifa Municipality, Home Front Command, Ministry of the Environment, and other entities.