Due to the nature of its business activities, guaranteeing optimal safety for its employees is a key issue for VINCI. Achieving zero accidents remains VINCI’s priority in this area. Reiterated in the VINCI Manifesto, the goal applies to all individuals – employees, temporary staff or subcontractors – working on a VINCI worksite or site under operation. The prevention programmes implemented within the Group are explained in the duty of vigilance plan (see paragraph 4.2, “Duty of vigilance with regard to health and safety”, page 234).
To reach this zero accident objective, VINCI’s health and safety policy relies on managers to be directly accountable for bringing all employees on board in supporting a safety culture. The Group does this through a special focus on training. These measures are also carried out by a network of more than 2,500 employees specialised in health and safety roles throughout the Group (managers, coordinators, experts, etc.). Prevention policies and procedures are translated every day into different types of measures, ranging from analysing risks upstream to updating and disseminating safety standards. They also include 15-minute safety sessions that bring together all individuals involved at a worksite, reporting and analysis of near misses and accidents and their root causes, as well as the delivery of training adapted to each business line, type of site and operational environment. VINCI business lines define and apply these policies and actions to their respective scope based on the risks and issues identified for their business activity. Safety events are held each year worldwide at all VINCI business lines to promote a shared safety culture. Partners, temporary staff, subcontractors and customers also take part in these events alongside VINCI employees. Various tools are used to report risk situations, near misses and accidents. This information is compared within each business line to better analyse trends and feedback. The findings are then used to improve prevention programmes for similar risks and businesses across an entity’s scope.
More than 1.5 million
hours of training on hygiene, health and safety every year
Employees and their representatives play a key role in prevention. The statement on occupational health and safety has been signed by the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and by the Secretary of the European Works Council ( https://www.vinci.com/publi/manifeste/sst-2017-06-en.pdf). This statement outlines the essential and fundamental steps to be taken and upholds the shared belief that progress can only take place with the support of all employees and their representatives by promoting the Group’s safety culture. The employee representatives of each entity are expected to be proactive in suggesting measures that could improve working conditions and occupational risk and accident prevention. At Group level, this topic is on the agenda at every Group Works Council or European Works Council meeting. In 2021, as part of its continuous dialogue with Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), VINCI signed the latter’s “Declaration on Healthy and Safe Workplaces” in support of the recognition of occupational health and safety as a fundamental right by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
At Group level, the prevention programme is coordinated by a Health and Safety Coordination unit, which brings together the heads of health and safety networks in all the business lines and divisions. Its aim is to foster the sharing of best practices, improve the reliability of H&S indicators, and devise new ways of making progress. VINCI is also a member of the Institute for an Industrial Safety Culture (ICSI) and the Foundation for Industrial Safety Culture (FonCSI) to participate in and financially support a research programme on ensuring safety in the future. The unit also launches foresight approaches to address emerging business risks and takes action to develop innovation in health and safety. Leonard, VINCI’s innovation and foresight platform, was assigned a mission on innovation in safety and prevention. The approach is divided into three parts:
Working closely on the ground, accident prevention Pivot Clubs and internal collaboration platforms help disseminate and monitor health and safety measures for the community of H&S coordinators and managers. Furthermore, VINCI companies establish partnerships with leading national health and safety organisations and actively contribute to adapting these policies to their respective core business and industry. The Group’s health and safety policy aims to anticipate and prevent risks relating to the health and safety of VINCI employees and external staff, but also to ensure quality of life in the workplace and the redeployment of employees who have suffered a workplace accident or illness. For example, VINCI established Trajeo’h in 2008. This organisation aims to better integrate people with disabilities into the Group and facilitate the redeployment of incapacitated staff.
In 2021, Group companies launched several health awareness campaigns in collaboration with employees, public authorities and specialised service providers. These actions included campaigns that promote physical activity and nutritional awareness to prevent chronic diseases. Other initiatives included personal counselling with dieticians and screening for diabetes and heart disease. Additionally, awareness campaigns were led in various regions worldwide to focus on certain addictions (smoking, alcohol, etc.) and diseases (cancer, Alzheimer’s). Each of these actions is taken to inform employees and get them involved, while creating opportunities for team-building and mutual support through challenges and group activities.
Companies are also renewing equipment and tools as well as reorganising work conditions to reduce workers’ exposure to the risks of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). For example, employees have been trained to help their colleagues adjust their practices and to lead warm-up exercises before starting work. The latest technological enhancements are surveyed, and numerous innovations are implemented to reduce arduous work and physical efforts for employees. Examples include exoskeletons at VINCI Construction, machines for laying and removing traffic cones at VINCI Autoroutes, and baggage handling equipment at VINCI Airports.
Another important focus is the prevention and management of psychosocial risks. For example, a help hotline has been set up that allows callers to speak with psychologists, along with other mental health and stress management initiatives. Webinars have thus been organised with specialists by Soletanche Freyssinet in particular, and various awareness materials (posters, brochures, etc.) have been developed and distributed to employees. These measures were stepped up to help manage the health crisis, and are shared within the Group to make sure they are disseminated as widely as possible.
