Manager involvement and accountability
Managers and executives undergo dedicated training to reinforce the safety culture in leadership and foster leadership accountability for health and safety performance. Worksite visits by managers are a well-established practice; all companies across the Group arrange these on a regular basis. Health and safety are put on the agenda of management committee meetings at every business line, division and company. Managers’ performance is increasingly assessed against criteria linked to the results of health and safety measures, as well as managers’ demonstrated involvement in promoting prevention initiatives.
As an example, at VINCI Construction, several training programmes for managers address the organisational and human factors in risk prevention and management. They also cover the principles of a just culture so that managers can implement them in their practices. At VINCI Concessions, training for managers is the second of the five pillars of its safety culture. All managers must be trained in prevention basics to ensure that they incorporate these rules into how work is organised. A new e learning module for managers was launched in 2022. Managers are also expected to proactively manage health and safety through actions ranging from carrying out safety inspections to interviewing injured workers and responding to surveys. At VINCI Energies, a new “Safety Excellence” course was added to the VINCI Energies Academy catalogue of basic training. Many courses such as those for operational directors, business unit managers, project directors, project managers and worksite managers were updated to incorporate the core “Safety Excellence” messages.
Safety incentives for employees
Safety incentives, rewarding employees for achieving safety goals, are implemented at the highest level of the Group. 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 at all levels.
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.
Health and safety events to drive employee engagement
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, the Group’s business lines hold 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 safety performance.
In addition to the actions taken by business lines, many VINCI subsidiaries also organise in-house events and challenges to reward health and safety initiatives and increase their visibility.
Managing and preventing risks for employees of subcontractors and temporary employment agencies
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, temporary workers, and subcontractors’ employees. 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 relevant information regarding on-site hazards. Specific criteria may be applied as of the selection phase and lead to a 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, subcontractors and workers employed through temporary employment agencies not only attend global events held by the Group 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 differentiate between permanent staff and temporary workers, and they increasingly include subcontractors. Efforts to improve prevention among these three categories of workers go beyond verifying compliance. The Group also takes steps to help its partners raise their safety standards and implement more effective actions, especially in countries where the safety culture is not as strong.
VINCI has implemented a framework agreement for use in France in the approval process for temporary employment agencies (TEAs), incorporating health and safety criteria. Agencies must, for example, disclose their health and safety data and demonstrate that they have established a safety culture, in particular through training programmes. It is compulsory for Group entities to use approved agencies to recruit their temporary workers. Agency specific action plans have been developed as needed, on a case by case basis, and include measures to better protect the safety of temporary workers. These include worker surveys, reporting on the outcomes of prevention initiatives, and company led awareness and training events.
