DS Smith has reported that new industry statistics by FEFCO put the company first in terms of the lowest accident frequency rate in the industry for the third year in a row. The company has demonstrated a continuous downward trend over the past nine years, which is clear evidence of its strong commitment to a safe work environment.
Marco Maguina, Head of Safety at DS Smith Packaging commented, “The safety of our people is our top priority. This result shows that our Vision Zero strategy is embedded across the organisation, which has been achieved through strong engagement among our leaders and our incredible teams across the company. We thank every single employee for always prioritising safety, and we are determined to continue our journey towards our Vision Zero.”
DS Smith says it aims to foster a culture where both health and safety are an integral part of its business activities and launched its ‘Vision Zero’, a strategy towards zero harm, more than two years ago. The ‘Vision Zero’ strategy consists of four key areas: leadership; engagement; systems and processes; and culture. Each of these has a goal with annual activities and performance indicators. In its last fiscal year, DS Smith achieved an eight per cent like-for-like reduction in its Accident Frequency Rate and eight per cent reduction in its Lost Time Accidents.
The focus on health and safety has also been at the forefront of DS Smith response during the Covid-19 pandemic. The company has managed to maintain all its production sites operational, following national government and health guidelines. At all times the priority has been the health and wellbeing of all people, while continuing to serve customers and to support the communities where it operates.
FEFCO monitors the Accidents Frequency Rate across the corrugated packaging industry in Europe to promote the importance of safety among its members. The new FEFCO statistics are based on 2019 data and supplied by its 568 member companies.
