Health and safety for its employees is the highest priority for Flint Group. Therefore, the company is dedicated to doing everything possible to avoid accidents, detect potential sources of danger and to ensure that all necessary means to prevent accidents are implemented consistently.
Fork lift drivers are generally well-protected against crushing hazards, particularly while reversing. This, however, has not been the case for hand pallet and high-lift trucks, which have repeatedly caused dangerous situations in the past. Three employees of the Flint Group site in Willstaett, Germany, have addressed the problem and managed to find a simple, yet effective solution. With the installation of vertical, padded profiles to protect the driver’s back, the risk of accidents could be drastically reduced.
The employees have been honoured with the employer’s liability insurance association award for Work – Safety – Health 2012 for the chemical industry in Germany. This prize has been awarded since 1997. Up until today, 9000 people from 4000 companies have participated in the competition, suggesting more than 4700 improvement ideas. In 2012, a total of 370 contributions have been submitted for which the association has allocated 18 different awards. "The award for the chemical industry sector goes to the employees of Flint Group for the construction and implementation of an effective safety measure for hand pallet and high-lift trucks. Their idea is simple, effective and most importantly, easily transferable to various different vehicles used within all industry sectors”, constitutes the association.
"Flint Group takes health and safety in the workplace very seriously", explains Michael Joerger, safety manager at the Willstaett site. "Every accident is one too many! We are pleased that our commitment has been recognised and honoured with this award and that our ideas can help to increase safety at Flint Group, as well as other companies".
