Attributing Great Significance to Health and Safety

"It is very important to those responsible in our company, that we tackle the needs of our workers – for they are the basis of our success. Starting on the first day of vocational training, we make every effort to optimise not only the working but also the social environment."

The voestalpine Group is an international processing company with its own steel basis. Activities focus on the production of top-quality steel products and the further processing of steel, and also of other materials, into components and complete systems.

Extensive health promotion programmes have been developed in the Steel Division of voestalpine in Linz in recent years. These programmes were initially dominated by lifestyle programmes, which met with surprisingly high acceptance and the events were well attended.

In the subsequent development stage participative programmes, such as health circles, attained major significance, also in the sense of a continuous improvement process. Viewing health and safety as a management task is one objective of the LIFE project, which was developed at voestalpine in recent years.

LIFE – these four letters reveal major objectives. They stand for "Lebensfroh" (joie de vivre), "Ideenreich" (inventiveness), "Fit" (fitness) and "Erfolgreich" (success). Characteristics which describe the future working life at voestalpine in a pertinent way. LIFE is a comprehensive, across-the-group programme to create an attractive world of work at voestalpine for all generations and sexes with the following strategic fields of action:

• Flexible working time models to achieve better reconcilability of family and work as well as reduction in the workloads due to shift work.
• Life-phase-related workplace design for the optimum use of the resources of every age group.
• Equal opportunities to ensure a productive and joint effort of the sexes and generations.
• Safety and health care to maintain achievement potential up to an advanced age.
• Culture, leadership, development programmes to maintain innovative ability, lifelong learning and the transfer of knowledge.

"Formula 33" permits all employees to use 2% of their annual working time to undergo vocational and further training. The participation of older workers in staff development programmes was substantially increased by "Formula 33".

Health activities are reflected in the health rate and the number of accidents at work was reduced.

No one is too old for a career at voestalpine: Over 2,600 employees have been recruited at the Linz location since 2000 – almost one in six of them was over 40. Ergonomic processes support the design of workplaces to suit different ages.

A staff satisfaction survey is conducted at voestalpine every 3 years. The satisfaction index is rising, also amongst older workers.

Health reports as part of a health and safety management system, in which the Management Board is also regularly involved, are standard practice of voestalpine.

The recent recruitment of a psychologist highlights the importance of the psychomental factor. The aim is, on the one hand, to offer advice in a psychosocial network and, on the other, to minimise stress factors using occupational psychological expertise.