Deeply Rooted
With more than 20,000 employees the company Voith GmbH from Heidenheim is one of Europe’s biggest family businesses – and an international role model in the matter of occupational safety.
Every potential source of danger, reported via the app is instantly examined in regards to its relevance for other company sites. Picture: Voith GmbH
Photo: Norbert Böwing
When would you say that something isn’t safe? When may it also be a danger to others? The company Voith GmbH works with a user-friendly app on the basis of mobile smart devices to detect potential dangers at the workplace at source and to eliminate them before they can occur – also at other company sites. Thanks to the app, the information is available to all company facilities worldwide within a short period of time.
A central database for occupational safety collects and instantly analyses all incoming information. This makes it possible to not only remove them immediately but also to examine the relevance for other company sites. In this way, potential risks get instantly eliminated before they can become a danger for the health of employees. At the same time, the awareness of the workers increases – by recognizing the insecure situation, by discussing them within their team and by deriving and implementing the measures together.
Using the app in every-day routine is easy, thanks to easy thanks to symbols that are easy to understand. Every employee can report his observations and concerns at every moment and completely anonymous. The data is then available to the manager and can be evaluated instantly. The app is already well-established as a system “from the user for the user” and has been integrated in an overall concept. It is used in all different sectors of the company. Incoming information about potential accident risks and sources of disturbance is used for improving occupational safety and is exchanged between all branches of industry and company sites.
Due to the great success of the app, a further development for other relevant topics is planned. In general, the five different markets of the globally working company make it evident how big the safety potential really is. Since the business year 2006/2007, the accident rate has dropped by 93 per cent to 1.5 work accidents per 1 million working hours. It is an amazing proof that a dedication to occupational safety is deeply rooted in the company culture of Voith GmbH.
Parking Safely Means Arriving Safely
Safe parking lots for trucks remain in short supply. An EU-wide uniform safety standard for truck parking areas is intended to make the transportation of goods less dangerous and stressful. Digital booking platforms help to make more efficient use of parking spaces and make the daily lives of professional drivers more comfortable.
What a Showstopper!
As a theater professional, Felix Malkowski likes to take a leading role on stage. Yet he does not expect applause from the stands and stalls. His role is to ensure the safety of the event technology – and the DEKRA expert tends to take over the entire theater to do so. He is currently on duty at the Munich Kammerspiele.
Big Data: More Resilience instead of Optimization
The Corona pandemic in particular has made it clear to many companies how sensitive their supply chain really is. Two years ago, the focus of process optimization in logistics was still on just-in-time delivery, shortening turnaround times, or higher throughputs in loading processes. Now it is all about resilience, stability, and safety reserves. Big data analysis can help.
