April 28, 2022. “Acting together to build a positive health and safety culture”. This is the slogan chosen by the World Labour Organization (ILO) to celebrate the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, which is celebrated today in and promotes the prevention of accidents and occupational diseases throughout the world. This year the World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2022 focuses on promoting social dialogue towards a culture of safety and health.
Health and safety at the center
Since the company was founded, health and safety in the work environment has been one of our priorities, and the prevention carried out by our medical department and the promotion of healthy lifestyles inside and outside of work have become the best medicine. “The fact of having its own on-site care team dedicated to improving the health of all Aludium members already indicates the importance that Aludium attaches to health, from medical examinations where we give individualized advice to improve their health, through doing epidemiological studies to prioritize common objectives”, explains Maika Palacios, a doctor specializing in occupational medicine at the Amorebieta plant. “My main objective is to improve the health – somatic and psychological – of my colleagues, individually and collectively, through medical examinations and epidemiological reports, as well as care for possible accidents or illnesses caused or aggravated by the development of their work”, adds Palacios.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. “The main objective of Aludium’s healthy company project ‘Salud para siempre’ is to make the company’s workers healthier, motivated, satisfied and happier, complying with all aspects of the WHO definition of health”, explains Manuel Rodríguez , specialist in occupational medicine at the Alicante plant. “Occupational medicine is a specialty that, if developed in its own prevention service, is very complete. In my day to day I carry out health surveillance for the detection of work-related pathologies as well as consultations related to accidents and work-related illnesses and common illnesses and prescriptions for medicines subsidized by Social Security. In addition, we carry out epidemiological studies, health promotion and prevention campaigns and the management of the healthy company project ‘Salud para Siempre’. And finally, I collaborate with EHS (Environment, Health and Safety) in carrying out safety observations and in accident investigations”, explains Rodríguez.
In terms of safety, one of the most important steps over the years has been to create a culture of safety in the company to the point of becoming a pillar for its strategy and viability. Everything has changed: the concept, the laws, the systems, the policies, the procedures and of course the awareness on a personal level. This has been key to improving safety day by day”, says José Antonio Baeza, EHS Manager at the Alicante plant. “In security, you should never lower your guard. One of the biggest traps we have is Risk Tolerance. When a system is safe, there is a tendency to think that there are no risks. It is in those moments when procedures are more lax and shortcuts are more tolerated, causing an accident”, adds the person in charge.
The healthy company action plan “Healthy Forever” was launched at the Alicante plant four years ago and carries out numerous actions throughout the year. Below, we list the main actions of this program.
- Promotion of sports practice by subsidizing registrations in popular races and events throughout the year and participating in ‘inter-company’ sports challenges.
- Promotion of healthy eating with ‘Fruit Day’, collaborating with the preparation of menus for the factory dining room and with talks and courses on nutrition.
- Carrying out campaigns for the early detection of prostate and colorectal cancer for people over 50 years of age and information campaigns for the prevention of breast and skin cancer.
- Education in healthy lifestyle habits for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
- Prevention of musculoskeletal diseases through information campaigns, with the collaboration of a physiotherapist who performs physiotherapy sessions for workers who request it.
- Anti-smoking campaign through monitoring and support of the smoking worker who wants to give up tobacco.
- Stress management through the collaboration of a psychological cabinet conducting psychotherapy sessions for workers and family members who request it.
- Aid to employees in pharmaceutical expenses, as well as in dental and health treatments.
- Subsidy for travel to workers.
- Loans and financial aid for studies to the children of employees.
- Realization of two blood donations per year.
- Training talks and volunteering in schools and associations.
