Safety incentives, rewarding employees for achieving safety goals, are implemented at the Group’s highest level of leadership. For example, the short-term variable remuneration of VINCI’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer is linked to environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria, which include health and safety indicators. The Board of Directors’ Remuneration Committee defines and assesses these criteria.
Likewise, the long-term variable remuneration paid to a large number of Group managers is based in part on improvements to workplace safety performance. Safety criteria also determine the short-term variable component of the remuneration of many managers and, frequently, the performance bonuses awarded to production workers up to the operator level.
Most collective profit-sharing agreements signed by the Group are based on operational as well as financial performance and include criteria such as improvement of workplace safety indicators.
Dedicated health and safety events organised in each business line and division are an important driver of engagement among employees and partners. These events enable managers to demonstrate their commitment to safety, visibly and to all employees, and help embed the safety culture across the organisation. Temporary workers, subcontractors and customers all participate in the conferences, workshops, training sessions, simulation exercises and other activities rolled out for each event. Each year, VINCI Energies organises Safety Week, a flagship event celebrated by every entity, worksite and operating site, in addition to many other awareness, training and risk prevention initiatives also rolled out locally. Safety Week is an opportunity for all teams to focus on their safety commitments and suggest ways to improve their company’s safety performance, which will shape a shared strategic plan.
In May 2021, the global workforce of VINCI Construction companies – a total of over 115,000 people – took part in Safety Days, with each division holding events to promote the three core values of dialogue, exemplary conduct and transparency. In October 2021, VINCI Concessions chose “Stay alert, be aware and take action to keep safe” as the theme for its International Safety Week. All 90 operating entities in 25 countries, including head offices, held health and safety events, in which more than 30,000 employees and partners participated.
Also in 2021, VINCI Autoroutes held its fifth Prevention Challenge contest, expanding it to include all of the business line’s departments and head offices. To raise the visibility of initiatives and enable voting by all employees, a video presentation of each project was posted online. Project teams had to demonstrate employee engagement and how their project supports the 2020-2022 health and prevention policy. The various projects addressed managing prevention, training, worksite and operating site safety and targeted employees of VINCI as well as those of external companies. In addition to being a key reminder of the importance of proactive health and safety management, the competition highlights the need to continuously innovate to instil a safety culture shared by all.
In addition to the actions taken by business lines, many VINCI subsidiaries also organise in-house events and competitions to reward health and safety initiatives and increase their visibility.
VINCI’s Subcontractor Relations Guidelines ( www.vinci.com/publi/manifeste/cst-en.pdf) underscore the Group’s commitment to ensuring the same level of security for its own employees and those of its subcontractors.
The established procedures at a construction or operating site make no distinction between employees of Group companies and temporary workers or subcontractors. Health and safety requirements are stated in advance, included in specific contract clauses and verified by Group companies. They range from the wearing of suitable personal protective equipment to reporting accidents or any other continuous reporting obligation regarding on-site hazards. Specific criteria may be applied as of the selection phase and lead to the subcontractor being disqualified. Health and safety teams analyse accidents, especially serious or potentially serious accidents, and use their findings to update action plans and create a safer environment for outside workers. All staff are included in the safety audits conducted at sites. The health and safety coordination unit may hold meetings to assess subcontractor compliance with contractual obligations. As a general rule, workers employed by subcontractors or through temporary employment agencies not only attend global events and on-site training, but also take part in discussion workshops on improving prevention at construction and operating sites. In many cases, indicators for divisions and companies do not distinguish between permanent staff and temporary workers, and they increasingly include subcontractors. Efforts to improve prevention among temporary workers and subcontractors go beyond verifying compliance. The Group also takes steps to help its partners elevate their safety standards and implement more effective actions, especially in countries where the safety culture is not as strong.
In 2012, VINCI Autoroutes launched its “Zero Accident Programme Management” campaign after a string of serious incidents occurred at worksites. This policy aims to improve safety for all construction site workers, from the design phase to completion, based on three pillars: one, reinforcing contractual safety obligations in works contracts; two, increasing the on-site presence of programme managers (participation in pre-start meetings, internal and external site audits, training and awareness events, awards presented to the most engaged companies, etc.); and, three, ensuring that VINCI Autoroutes support teams share their feedback and experience from safety incidents with operational workers. Since the policy was implemented, the number of lost-time workplace accidents has been reduced by two-thirds. In 2021, as the policy’s 10th anniversary approached, each regional department invited outside experts to a day of workshops on the commonest hazardous situations and exchanging virtuous practices. More events will be held in 2022 to celebrate the policy’s 10 years of existence and chart its evolution for the next decade.
