“Health and safety at work is everyone's business”

In the video, Peter Kunz and Alexander Siepmann from International Quality Management & Services explain what it's all about.

The aim is to ensure a safe and healthy working environment for all employees at all Dr. Oetker production sites around the world. This has been achieved by gradually introducing a globally recognized standard in the area of occupational health and safety management systems at all production sites since 2021. The internal Health and Safety Management System include the following Focus Areas: 

• the establishment of a global occupational health and safety policy
• the systematic detection of hazards and their reduction or elimination 
• the definition and continuous evaluation of occupational health and safety objectives 
• the identification of measures for continuous improvement 
• the involvement of management in the orientation and evaluation of the system 
• and the introduction of internal audits for monitoring and further development.

Operational implementation is carried out step by step together with the plants according to a clearly structured roadmap. For this purpose the project team has developed an implementation package. It summarizes the relevant standard requirements in a comprehensible manner and provides colleagues responsible for occupational health and safety with additional supporting documents. As project manager, Alexander Siepmann is responsible for analyzing the current situation, introducing the system and providing ongoing support on site. He works closely with colleagues in the countries, to share expertise and addresses site-specific requirements.

From theory to practice: examples from the countries

In order to further develop occupational health and safety, it is crucial to continuously improve the system. To make it work, intensive involvement of employees from all levels and functional areas is essential. This internal networking and international exchange pave the way for the development of a corporate culture that promotes occupational health and safety.

From fire protection to early warning systems: we present examples of measures from our plants around the world here:

In Brazil, an “Accident prevention and health & safety week” is held annually at the Sao Paulo and Itatiba sites. During the week employees of all work areas and levels receive on-site training for accident prevention, risk awareness, identification and reporting of hazards, the focus topics of the prevention and safety week, or as it is called in Brazil: the SIPATMA. There are also regular training sessions for the company's own task force in cooperation with the local fire department; hazardous situations such as fires are then simulated. CIPA=elections (CIPA = COMISSÃO INTERNA DE PREVENÇÃO DE ACIDENTES) are also held at all three locations. The company does not only focus on work safety topics, but also educates the employees regarding health and wellbeing, for example by teaching them effective protection against contagious diseases. 

Eliezer Oliviera, Occupational Safety Technician at Dr. Oetker Brasil Ltda.: "The importance of occupational safety cannot be underestimated – it's the foundation of employee well-being, productivity, and organizational success.” 

Preventive measures relating to evacuation and fire protection are a top priority:
At Dr. Oetker Tiefkühlprodukte KG in Wittlich (Germany), regular occupational safety and fire safety inspections are carried out using a detailed checklist. Unannounced evacuation trainings also ensure that the company is always well prepared in case of emergency. 

Cooperation with the local fire department is also very close here: jointly planned exercises take place on the factory premises several times a year. During these trainings, company-specific features, new buildings and premises, hazardous substances and much more are presented and corresponding possible deployment scenarios are simulated.

Dominik Schönhofen, specialist for occupational safety at Dr. Oetker Wittlich, has also been working for the local fire department for 15 years. He emphasizes: “The close cooperation with the fire department is an advantage for both sides. Should a hazardous situation ever arise, our colleagues from the fire department are well-informed about the spatial and technical building conditions at the plant and able to work efficiently."

In England, where Dr. Oetker is represented at the Leeds and Leyland sites with over 600 employees, a digital hazard and near miss reporting system was introduced at the Leyland site to quickly identify, report and eliminate potential hazards before they become a risk for our employees. People and technology are needed to make this work: hazards, near misses and risk indicators are identified on a monthly basis and appropriate measures are taken directly to eliminate the root cause. Based on the information provided in the reports, the company's internal Health, Safety, Environment team can analyze the data using a digital dashboard. This helps to identify trends and focus areas in order to ensure the continuous improvement of the health and safety management system. 

At Dr. Oetker, the focus is on people; this is also reflected in the regular first aid training courses. At Dr. Oetker Tiefkühlprodukte Wittenburg KG (Germany) colleagues who have been trained as first aiders keep their knowledge up to date. The training of the approximately 150 first aiders at the Wittenburg site takes place every two years. It is particularly positive that this important training can be carried out by one of our own qualified employees. As a trainer, Matthias Gabriel, therefore, has the opportunity to address plant-specific topics in particular and tailor the training accordingly.

In Poland, too, where Dr. Oetker has around 2,000 employees at the Gdansk, Lebcz and Plock sites, so-called “Occupational Health and Safety Days” are held regularly to familiarize employees with the various facets of occupational health and safety and to deepen existing knowledge and train them for practical application.

Natalia Tetzlaff, Health and Safety Specialist, Dr. Oetker Polska Sp. z o.o., highlights: 
“Health & Safety rules are often treated as an unwanted obligation, but they are an essential part of our lives. To encourage people to be safe, it needs to be presented in a fun and varied way, rather than just repeating dry theory. That is why we organize health and safety days in our company, during which we play Educational OH&S games, do exercises, perform 'accident scenes', sometimes even relax, but above all we increase our knowledge of hazards and how to protect ourselves from them.”

“Train the trainer” is the sustainable principle.

By the end of 2025, the occupational health and safety management system will have been introduced at all production sites worldwide. Peter Kunz and Alexander Siepmann are personally on site to provide support with the implementation and carry out internal audits to ensure that the operational implementation of the system works successfully. “Safety in the workplace has top priority: understanding occupational safety and actively helping to shape it,” is how Peter Kunz sums it up. This applies to everyone in the company. And it is the only way to keep the system dynamic and sustainable.

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