For a healthy, safe and secure working environment

At the German sites, we have set up occupational health and safety committees to report on matters relating to occupational health and safety and accident prevention. The committee is composed of different specialists and managers at the company. The representative body for disabled employees and the fire officer are also involved. The committees therefore represent all employees in Germany. Depending on the operational circumstances, the committees discuss the latest safety challenges and advise on training, education and motivation measures. The occupational health and safety committee is also responsible for putting together priority programmes. 

The “Safety & Security Management” staff unit provides support at the Bielefeld site with any issues regarding occupational health and safety and fire protection. It also ensures smooth processes for occupational health and safety, and networks other responsibilities throughout Germany. Managers are also expressly duty-bound to ensure the health and safety of their employees in the workplace. They communicate regularly with the occupational health and safety managers. They work together to perform inspections for risk and hazard assessments and establish corresponding protective measures, such as mandatory e-learning courses.  

Every accident in the workplace is reported internally, which triggers an accident analysis that is carried out together with the managers and on the basis of which appropriate measures are introduced. Examples of this include process changes and technical or personal protective measures in the form of special equipment. The results of the accident analysis and the protective measures taken are summarised in a log and added to the risk assessment.

Managers are responsible for providing their employees with all the key information about occupational health and safety and health provisions, and facilitating their attendance of health check-ups and use of services. Regular news reports on the intranet also inform employees of available training courses and qualifications, as well as health and safety measures that have been introduced. There is a separate page on the intranet for all sites that provides information about current prevention reports and organisational instructions on occupational health and safety. 

All employees receive annual training on occupational health and safety. This is performed by managers, who are supported by internal and external experts.  

Training on certain topics is also provided through e-learning courses. These cover cross-departmental issues, such as office hazards, remote working, reporting duties, fire protection and first-aid measures, as well as specialist content, including special driver safety training for car and HGV drivers.  

At our German sites, we offer medical advice as well as compulsory, recommended and elective preventative healthcare appointments with the occupational health service, which correspond to the individual professional activities of our employees. There are, for example, dedicated preventative healthcare services for those working with screens or in noisy environments, as well as for those who perform driving, control and monitoring activities. Our employees also have regular opportunities to take advantage of preventative healthcare services like flu jabs or eye tests. 

Our colleagues in Dubai have also dedicated a number of campaign days to the topic of preventative healthcare, inviting employees at the sites in Dubai and Sharjah to attend health check-ups and medical consultations. Free glasses frames were given out and the lenses could then be funded via health insurance.

Exercise is a key component of our preventative healthcare. We offer an extensive range of company sports to our employees, which currently includes badminton, football, volleyball and table tennis. At the end of 2024, around 100 employees were registered with the company sports association.  

Instigated by employees, the “JobRad” company bicycle scheme has also been in place since 2015. Through this, employees can finance new bicycles and e-bikes by means of salary sacrifice. During the reporting period, a total of 509 new JobRad agreements for bikes and Pedelecs were concluded. For this initiative, which also includes charging stations, servicing stations for small repairs and employee showers, Schüco received the title “Officially bike friendly” in 2024, which was awarded by the city of Bielefeld in cooperation with the Local Alliance for Families (Lokale Bündnis für Familien).  

In addition to protecting physical health, Schüco also focused on preventative mental health care for employees during the reporting period. An initial consultation service provided by the company was set up in order to provide those affected by emotional trauma with early support and advice. This service provides support as the first port of call when people are looking for information sources for specific complaints and provides details of external experts. Through our collaboration with a service provider, employees have been able to access life coach sessions since 2024. There is also the option to consult company addiction counsellors for information, advice and support. Furthermore, Schüco carried out a mental health risk assessment of two departments at the Bielefeld site as part of a pilot project in 2023. Suitable preventative measures were then drawn up and improvements were implemented in a follow-up process.