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Emad is particularly positive about the fact that 'Safety
Heroes' gives attention to people who have a brilliant
safety idea and those who contribute to a safer
environment "Each month, we choose Safety Heroes
in our plants and warehouses. They receive Heineken®
merchandise, we put their picture on a Hall of Fame
at the brewery entrance and we engrave their name
on a cup. They feel proud and acknowledged."
In 2009, Heineken recognised that safety awareness in
Africa and the Middle East was high within production
teams, but not high enough in sales and warehousing.
So, Heineken developed 'Safety Heroes', a programme
aimed at changing employees' attitudes and
behaviours with regard to safety.
The programme has four steps: communicating
safety norms, training (through self study) and
examination, rewarding positive behaviour and
enforcing rules. "The programme complements
existing safety measures and is designed to be
simple, thorough and positive in its approach," says
Marijke van der Vliet, Project Manager Health Affairs.
The programme was first rolled out in Egypt's
Al-Ahram breweries, which has 2,500 staff. Emad
Awad, the local project manager responsible for
implementation, describes the process. "We created
three simple and practical safety manuals that were
heavy on visuals and light on text. We trained every
single employee, until each reached a 100 percent
score on our test"
The programme also includes enforcement measures,
such as improved reporting on potentially risky
situations. Overall, the programme has made a
tangible difference. "People find the manuals easy
to understand. It is also the first time that we have
included people from sales. They really appreciated
learning more about safety."
The numbers underscore
the success. On-site
accidents went down from
seven in 2009 to four in
2010. Emad's conclusion
is a positive one: "Truck
drivers have begun to wear
safety belts all the time,
while others have begun to
assume a healthier posture
while sitting. Our culture is
changing," says Emad.
