What are significant safety threats encountered today in the Industry and Manufacturing (I&M) segment?
This is a working environment that has hazards and demands respect – moving machinery, transportation, heavy lifting gear for example. The tasks that ISS frontline placemakers perform while they are working within these environments are many. At ISS, everyone has the obligation to own safety – and to ensure that we provide our placemakers, clients and the communities we serve with safe working practices and environments.
Modernisation introduces new risks. The key point we need to remember is that while modernisation aims to “engineer out” risk, it also presents new risks. While we retire old risks, we must ensure that we do not create new risks and the potential for harm.
Risk awareness begins at the leadership level. Leaders must “own” and prioritise superb safety performance as they would any other component of their business portfolio. They need to ensure that the right culture and capable commitment is in place to manage the safety agenda appropriately.
Safety is everyone's responsibility. It ultimately lies within all our jobs to own it. Every person has a duty to themself and to one another, to ensure that the ISS’ safety approach is meaningful and that it works. In addition, our collaboration with partners and clients is key to reinforcing a strong safety culture and delivering on our obligation to maintain a safe working environment.
How is ISS supporting Industry and Manufacturing clients to enhance safety? How do you keep the employees of our clients safe during their working hours?
Identification. Evaluation. Communication. Training. Measurement.
ISS identifies, evaluates and communicates within an extensive safety framework and organisational infrastructure – to ensure that risks are uncovered quickly, evaluated accurately, and mitigated effectively.
ISS trains placemakers to proactively understand and evaluate the hazards in their workplaces, and enables access to the right skills and systems to support a safe working environment.
ISS measures to understand trends, root causes of risk, and proactively manage potential causes of harm to adjust for the future.
If you think about ISS’ core values, and our mission to be a company of belonging, then the safety of every living thing has to be an intrinsic part of that value. I don't know a client that does not work hand in glove with ISS throughout this agenda – it impacts every element of our partnership. A great culture embraces safety and well-being at its core, and it is a value that invokes trust, belief, and high standards. It instills a confidence and accountability in all of us to own the safety agenda.
Looking to the Future
Over the next decade, I&M will become unrecognisable. The COVID-19 pandemic, followed by the Ukraine conflict, has been a catalyst for today’s organisations to optimise their factories and plants even more – this is resulting in better design and safer working conditions.
As these changes are realised, there will be significant momentum to the safety agenda. ISS will be relentless in optimising these opportunities for the well-being of our placemakers, our clients and the communities that we operate within.
A safe working environment has to always be our #1 promise.
