The ETSC, which runs its PRAISE project to address the safety aspects of driving at work and driving to work, awarded Unilever Poland as highly commended in its 2014 awards and interviewed the company on its progress.

Speaking to the ETSC, Edyta Karpiuk-Jagodzinska, safety, health and environment coordinator for Poland and the Baltics at Unilever, commented on the company’s ‘Vision Zero’ programme, which was presented in 2012 and includes the target of zero road injuries by 2020.

Ms Karpiuk-Jagodzinska said: “We believe that as a business we have a responsibility to our staff, contractors, consumers, and to the communities in which we have a presence. Our goal is zero workplace injuries. It applies to all our sites, as well as our drivers and their vehicles, which spend more and more time on the road. Keeping our staff safe on the roads and protecting the communities in which we operate is a primary safety priority. We want our employees to work in a safe environment, no matter where it may be – in a factory or on the road.”

In response to managing its major operational safety risks, the company has introduced its Safe Travel Roadmap in partnership with Britain’s Cranfield University and targeted at high and medium-risk countries.

Road safety processes cover three main areas: safe travel governance, the occupational environment and driver safety.

In 2013, Unilever Poland implemented Unilever’s BeSafE programme, one of the first sites in Europe to do so and says it has witnessed a culture change as an organisation, whereby a greater emphasis is placed on road safety, and whereby greater interest in road safety is clearly perceivable.

The Safe Travel Standard, covers all cars, vans, lorries, trucks, coaches, buses and two-wheelers purchased or leased by Unilever and all privately owned vehicles driven by employees on Unilever business.

In response to being asked about the financial benefits of achieving road safety improvements at Unilever Poland, Ms Karpiuk-Jagodzinska said: “Good safety performance translates into lower absenteeism and as a consequence lower costs for the company. Based on data provided by the Polish authorities, we decreased the cost of absenteeism at work as a result of road accidents from approx. €1,919,000 EUR in 2011 to €781,000 in 2013.

“We have decreased insurance costs due to reducing the rate of injuries, incidents, and collisions. The number of employee road incidents has decreased by 68% since 2011. According to the expected amount of damage (data given by insurance providers) for each incident we decreased it from 633.710,71 EUR in 2011 to 139.099,52 EUR in 2013.”

In addition in Poland & the Baltics the firm has managed to reduce the number of Driving Injury Incidents from five in 2011 to 0 in 2014. It hasn’t had any fatal or serious driving accidents since 2003. In addition to reducing the number of road accidents it managed to reduce absenteeism at work, caused by road accidents from 102 days in 2011 to 0 in 2014.

This year will also see Unilever introduce a global ban on making or receiving calls, texting, emailing, social media usage, browsing etc. while driving. This includes hands-free devices. Making phone calls will be only permissible when the vehicle is stopped and the engine is off.

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