The 2012 Occupational Safety Trophy was presented to the best plants and organization units in the Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brands at Volkswagen’s Bratislava plant yesterday. Last year’s winner Volkswagen Slovakia was again honored for the safest plant. Pre-assembly at the Wolfsburg plant was the best organizational unit.
For the Volkswagen Group, continuously improving occupational safety is a top priority and is firmly anchored in the global corporate culture. It is the company’s goal to achieve the safest possible working environment for employees, and to continuously review and improve this environment.
“Volkswagen takes on responsibility – particularly as regards its employees. By further developing and systematically implementing our occupational safety measures we have reduced the number of accidents at Volkswagen plants worldwide by three percent over the last twelve months. I would like to thank all the employees involved for their personal contributions in the field of occupational safety”, said Dr. Michael Macht, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft with responsibility for Group Production, commenting on the Occupational Safety Trophy.
The Chairman of the General Works Council Committee for Occupational Safety, Health and the Environment, Andreas Heim, said: “Safety, health and ergonomics are undoubtedly one of the success factors in the changing world of work. We have achieved many improvements in these areas during the past year.”
Dr. Rainer Göldner, the Group’s chief physician and responsible for health and occupational safety added: “The Volkswagen Group sets great store by occupational safety and ergonomics in the interests of our employees’ health. A safe working environment accompanied by continuous improvement measures can increase both productivity and employee satisfaction. The Bratislava plant is a role model for the Group in this context.”
Last year’s winner – the Bratislava plant of Volkswagen Slovakia – was once again recognized this year as the best plant. The Volkswagen Navarra S.A. plant in Pamplona took second place. Volkswagen Autoeuropa in Setubal, Portugal, came third. The competition for the best organizational unit was won by the “HTW-2/3 Pre-assembly” department at Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg plant, followed by “HK-Q Quality Assurance” in Kassel and the “PAF, Finishing Center” department of Volkswagen Slovakia in Bratislava.
Plant Manager Albrecht Reimold of Volkswagen Slovakia accepted the trophy. “Winning the Occupational Safety Trophy for the second time demonstrates that occupational safety is firmly anchored in our corporate culture. Our employees are very aware of their responsibility. Apart from modern technical solutions we also place the emphasis on information and the qualification of all employees,” Reimold said at the presentation ceremony.
The trophies were presented this year by Dr. Rainer Göldner, Andreas Heim and Kassel Plant Manager Prof. Dr. Hans-Helmut Becker.
The Volkswagen Occupational Safety Trophy
The Volkswagen Occupational Safety Trophy has been presented every year since 1985 to the best plant and the best organizational unit. Initially, the competition was only open to Volkswagen’s German sites. Starting in 2005, it was extended to include all the European plants (including the components plants) of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars and the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brands. The safest plants and organizational units are identified in a ranking based on safety statistics. The three best plants and organizational units are then subjected to an audit. This quality check also takes into consideration factors such as team spirit, working atmosphere and communication. The audit results are the sole basis for deciding the winners.