Occupational health and safety

GRI:
  • 403-1

Shaping safe working conditions is our priority, and we carry out activities that require us to be particularly attentive to safety rules.

The Unibep Group has an employee health and safety management system which is based on the standard “ISO 45001 – Occupational health and safety management systems. Requirements and guidelines for application”. This standard was issued in 2018 by the International Organisation for Standardisation. The standard specifies requirements relating to the occupational health and safety (i.e. OHS) management system. Its scope encompasses both a practical approach that translates into the safety of people and the company, as well as guidelines for its application so that OSH activities can be continuously monitored and optimised.

The employee health and safety management system was implemented at the Unibep Group in response to legal requirements. It covers all employees and all offices, factories and construction sites in each of Unibep Group companies.

The OHS Department, in cooperation with the Legal Department, monitors on an ongoing basis changes in occupational health and safety legislation and maintains their list that is made available to all employees on the intranet. Information on each change (to procedures, internal orders, key OHS documents) is posted on the Group’s intranet on the MY Unibep portal and distributed by email to all employees.

Unibep S.A. has an OHS Committee which performs advisory and opinion-making functions.
It consists of six members.

  • a review of working conditions,
  • a periodic assessment of the state of occupational health and safety,
  • an opinion on the measures taken by the employer to prevent occupational accidents,
  • near misses,
  • means of protection against the COVID 19 pandemic,
  • formulation of proposals for improving working conditions,
  • cooperation with the employer in the fulfilment of its OHS responsibilities,
  • standards of the Agreement for Construction Safety.

Following the transfer of an organised part of the enterprise in the form of Unihouse Branch Unibep S.A. in Bielsk Podlaski to Unihouse S.A., an in-house OHS Committee consisting of nine members was established at Unihouse S.A. in 2019.

Since 2015, Unibep S.A. has been party to the Agreement for Construction Safety. It is an initiative of fourteen general contractors aimed at improving safety on Polish construction sites. Its purpose is to implement actions aimed at introducing systemic solutions in the field of occupational health and safety, such as common model documents, templates for confirming professional qualifications of construction workers or periodic training. The Agreement promotes a culture of safety, raises awareness of risks of working on a construction site and, consequently, contributes to the elimination of the risk.

  • 403-2

The Unibep Group conducts surveys, inspections and audits to identify and assess work-related risks. Their results are used to evaluate and continuously improve the system for managing employees’ health and safety.

The inspection process consists of the following activities:

Result, among other things, from current legislation and are related, for example, to the exposure of employees to crystalline silica – the respirable fraction generated during work. In 2021, the necessary measurements of the working environment were made and the results of the assessment of occupational exposure to harmful factors were used to carry out an update of the occupational risk assessment of work stations.

Carried out annually by an inventory and update on all positions in Unibep Group companies. Occupational risk sheets are publicly available to all employees and are posted on the intranet under the OHS tab. In 2020, an inventory and update of the occupational risk assessment was carried out, expanding it to include the biological hazard posed by Covid-19. In 2021, new risk assessment sheets were added in line with newly created jobs, particularly in the energy and industrial construction division.

Are carried out systematically by the OHS Service, the OHS Coordinator, the Construction Management and the Subcontractor Management. Thanks to the implementation of the OHS system on the domestic market, cooperation between Unibep S.A. and Subcontractors has been strengthened and the level of safety during construction works has been increased. Deficiencies and risks revealed during internal inspections were addressed with verbal and written recommendations, in the form of a protocol or an entry in the OHS logbook. The Construction Management and Subcontractors are obliged to implement the recommendations within the applicable time limit. Employees who performed work contrary to OHS regulations and rules underwent additional OHS training with an entry in the list, whereas subcontractors that did not follow Unibep S.A.’s recommendations, endangering the health and lives of employees, were given an OHS notice.

Are conducted in a planned and systematic manner. Among many issues, they also include OHS objectives and occupational health and safety management processes. The results of the internal audits are taken into account as input data in the conformity assessment process, which allows the OHS management system to be continuously improved and developed at the company’s branches. Corrective action sheets following internal audits, together with audit reports, are also reviewed at Unibep S.A. management meetings.

All employees are required to keep their supervisors informed of any hazards they notice in the workplace. Supervisors report hazards, accidents and near misses to the Health, Safety and Environment Office, which sends an email alert with information about the incident to all subordinate project sites. Alerts are displayed in a prominent, publicly accessible place on the site for the information of all employees, subcontractors and visitors. The Health, Safety and Environment Office collects data and maintains a register of near misses.

In accordance with generally accepted and applicable OHS legislation, an employee has the right not to perform tasks which they believe may result in an accident, injury or damage to their health or the health of those around them.

Before starting work, each employee is familiarised with the risk assessment sheet for the job and is provided with protective equipment such as helmets, vests, work clothing and footwear. This ensures that employees are protected from possible near misses. Furthermore, each accident is described according to Unibep’s work standard. After each near miss, corrective actions are implemented to avoid a similar situation in the future.

  • 403-3

Occupational health and safety at the Unibep Group is supervised by the Occupational Health and Safety Office.

This unit is responsible for identifying and eliminating hazards and minimising occupational safety risks. Six people work in the Office. In addition to the manager, these are specialists and OHS inspectors. The Occupational Health and Safety Office works on the basis of developed working standards: monitoring (occupational health and safety visits), accidents, training. The documents prepared are made available to employees on the intranet, and information is sent to all contract managers, site managers, management, and the Management Board.

  • 403-4

The Unibep Group has an OHS Committee consisting of the Chairman, the OHS Manager, a social labour inspector and manual workers. Meetings in this configuration are held quarterly.

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Records of initial and periodic OHS training are also kept.

Initial OHS training is provided by the OHS Service (general training) and the immediate supervisor on the job (job position training). Periodic training is outsourced to external companies or carried out in-house. Specialised training (e.g. first aid) is provided by specialised training centres.

Before entering the construction site, subcontractors submit a statement on current OHS training of their employees, and present the originals of these certificates for inspection. In addition, the OHS Services or the OHS Coordinator at Unibep S.A. conduct OHS training when introducing the Subcontractor to the construction site. An induction training register is established on each site.

Initial (general) OHS training

The first initial (general) training consists in familiarising the new employee with the general principles of occupational health and safety. It is conducted by a representative of the OHS Services or an OHS specialist from the Unibep Group. OHS training sheets and statements of awareness of occupational risks and instructions are kept in employees’ personnel files.

Periodic OHS training

Periodic OHS training for employees is repeated regularly during their employment at the Unibep Group. Under current legislation, the first periodic training, depending on the position held, is conducted within six or twelve months of employment. This means that:

  • Employers and persons in charge of employees must undergo their first periodic training no later than 6 months after starting work in a given position.
  • Manual workers, technical staff and engineers, designers and machine and technical equipment design engineers, process engineers and production managers, OHS Service employees and others performing occupational health and safety tasks, administrative and office staff, persons whose work involves exposure to hazardous factors or responsibility for occupational health and safety must undergo their first periodic training within a maximum of 12 months of starting work in a given position.

Certificates of periodic OHS training are kept in employees’ personnel files.

Summary of OHS training in 2021

COMPANIES/BRANCHES
Unibep S.A Unihouse S.A. Infrastructure Branch of Unibep Budrex Sp. z o.o. Unidevelopment S.A. and Monday Development Sp. z o.o. Total Grupa Unibep
Initial training
General initial training 176 351 64 14 22 627

Periodic training
Persons in charge of employees 155 27 0 0 0 249
Admin. and office staff 35 24 6 0 13 136
Manual workers 92 195 0 0 – 439
Total 282 246 6 0 13 547
  • 403-6

The Unibep Group employees are covered by medical care.

Subcontractors submit a statement on current medical examinations of their employees before they enter the construction site, and present the originals of the certificates for inspection.

In 2021, employees underwent the following types of examinations:

Examinations: Unibep Branch Infrastructure Branch Budrex
Sp. z o.o.		 Unihouse S.A. Unidevelopment S.A. Monday Development Sp. z o.o. Total Grupa Unibep
Initial 222 64 14 205 22 8 535
Periodic 16 10 1 69 4 1 101
Follow-up 21 16 3 54 3 1 98
Targeted 13 2 0 5 3 0 23
Total 272 92 18 333 32 10 757

The Unibep Group refunds the purchase of corrective glasses to employees working at a screen monitor for at least 4 hours a day, if the results of ophthalmological examinations conducted as part of preventive examinations indicate the need for such glasses during their work. The refund is a maximum of PLN 500 (gross) and is granted once every three years.

This does not apply if the doctor responsible for health care, based on the results of the ophthalmological examinations, determines that it is necessary to provide the employee with new glasses before the expiry of the aforementioned deadline.

  • 403-7

The company has no data on the prevention and mitigation of occupational phenomena and events affecting the health and safety of employees.

  • 403-8

All Unibep Group employees are covered by the occupational safety management system.

  • 403-9

There were 17 minor accidents at work among full-time employees at Unibep Group in 2021. These included injuries, lacerations, sprains, dislocations and fractures of the upper and lower limbs.

Indicators for full-time employees of the organisation:

Total time worked by all employees (full-time and part-time) in 2021 (h) 2,854,474

Name of business unit Type of occupational injury
Unibep Group Lacerations, sprains, dislocations and fractures of the upper and lower limbs
Number of fatal accidents at work 0
Number of serious accidents at work 0
Number of all accidents 17
Total accident rate 1.191

Indicators for other employees whose work or workplace is controlled by the organisation

Total time worked by employees whose work or
workplace is controlled by the organisation (h)		 45,509,511
Number of fatal accidents at work 0
Number of serious accidents at work 1
Number of all accidents 11
Total accident rate 0.048

An analysis of accidents at work is carried out at Unibep Group companies. The analysis carried out for 2021 showed:

  • a 25% decrease in the number of accidents compared to the previous year, with a 9.21% increase in employment;
  • the accident frequency rate was 4.69, and decreased by 31.33% compared to the previous year;
  • the accident severity rate was 30.67, and significantly decreased by as much as 70.44% compared to the previous year;
  • the number of days of incapacity to work due to accidents at work was 92, and decreased by 77.83% compared to the previous year.
  • a 150% increase in the number of accidents compared to the previous year, with a 7.14% increase in employment;
  • the accident frequency rate was 22.22, and increased by 133.40% compared to the previous year;
  • the accident severity rate was 39.8, and increased by 4.74% compared to the previous year;
  • the number of days of incapacity to work due to accidents at work was 199, and increased by 161.84% compared to the previous year.
  • a 16.67% increase in the number of accidents compared to the previous year with a 2.63% increase in employment;
  • the accident frequency rate was 11.95, and increased by 13.70% compared to the previous year;
  • the accident severity rate was 47.43, and decreased by 35.47% compared to the previous year;
  • the number of days of incapacity to work due to accidents at work was 332, and decreased by 24.72% compared to the previous year.
  • a 100% increase in the number of accidents compared to the previous year, with a 5.17% decrease in employment;
  • the accident frequency rate was 18.18, and increased by 100% compared to the previous year;
  • the accident severity rate was 43, and increased by 100% compared to the previous year;
  • the number of days of incapacity to work due to accidents at work was 86, and increased by 100% compared to the previous year.
  • 403-10

In 2021, there were no fatal accidents caused by work-related ill health, either among the Unibep Group employees or those whose work or workplace was controlled by the organisation (subcontractors). There were also no recorded cases of work-related ill health.

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