Safety at work

A large steel company such as ArcelorMittal Gent is a unique work setting. On a daily basis, our employees work with extremely heavy weights, huge volumes and this at a fast pace. It is therefore important that they at all times remain focused during the job, so that everyone’s safety can be ensured. Safety is a value; the safety policy of our company forms an integral part of our operations.

Our foundation: The Golden Rules

The Golden Rules are the foundations of our safety policy. These 10 safety guidelines revolve around the 10 biggest risks present within the steel industry. All our employees have received training on the Golden Rules and their respective procedures and codes of conduct. The Golden Rules are integrated in the ‘Safety’ course which has to be followed by every new employee. The Rules are furthermore used during safety trainings and safety conversations. The main line of thought is that we can only start working when all conditions are safe.

Learning from accidents

During our monthly safety trainings, we frequently analyse the number of accidents that occurred in the steel industry worldwide. By doing so, we learn from previous mistakes and make sure that our employees are safeguarded from similar accidents.

Take care of each other’s safety

We expect that all our employees not only take up responsibility and safeguard their own safety but that they also look after their colleagues. Every new employee is therefore assigned a ‘godfather’. A ‘godfather’ is an experienced employee who knows the risks that can come with the job. It is his duty to train the new employee on safety.

The shared vigilance is furthermore executed by the safety stewards of the different departments. Safety stewards are employees who are trained in safety and who extra aware of the safety of their colleague during the day-to-day jobs.

Integrated safety conduct

Our safety conduct plays a huge role in our daily company life. With the World Class Manufacturing (WCM), we aim at continuous improvement, also in the area of safety. One of the pillars of WCM is specifically targeted at increasing the safety of our employees, done so by utilising a specific approach. High-risk task are firstly listed before being analysed in detail. The risks and possible outcomes are identified. WCM then searches for ways to reduce the risks or take them away completely.

Safety for contractors

The safety of the contractors working at our company, is of course as important as the safety of our own employees. One of the determining factors in this story is the communication with the subcontractors. That is why we developed an online portal for suppliers and contractors. On it, more information can be found on our safety policy and safety conducts, that need to be complied with before starting to work at our company.

Worldwide Health- and Safety day

Every year, the ArcelorMittal group coordinates a Health and Safety day at all the sites. On this day, our site in Ghent organises all kinds of activities throughout the day that help create awareness on safety issues.