Since the beginning, OMR has made safety in the workplace and respect for the environment the core of its philosophy.
Claudio Barbiani, head of the EHS Environment, Health and Safety office, talks about the main initiatives that OMR has implemented for the protection of health and safety at work, with an eye always attentive to the environmental issue.
What inspired Claudio Barbiani in his long career in OMR is the great passion and dedication towards a delicate and complex topic such as safety. Not an easy job, which requires competence and constant updating, but the growing recognition from management and colleagues helps in daily work and in overcoming every challenge.
Through committed leadership, a safety and environmentally oriented corporate culture, and constant investment in the best technologies and training, OMR demonstrates its commitment to worker health and well-being, environmental issues and value creation in the long term.
Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) Department
The Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) team plays a central role in the company as, in addition to dealing with everything relating to the identification of risks and the measures to be implemented for the prevention and protection from such risks, including those aimed at the environment:
- collaborates with other company offices, in particular with the HR (Human Resource) office, to guarantee continuous training and periodic health surveillance of workers;
- manages relations with the bodies responsible for local control regarding workplace hygiene and safety (ATS, Fire Brigade, Labor Inspectorate, INAIL) and environmental matters (ARPA), in the case of inspection visits;
- coordinates verification, consultancy, maintenance and control activities relating to safety and environmental protection aspects;
- manages and coordinates cleaning activities in both industrial and civil environments;
- manages and coordinates the night security service.
Occupational Safety Protocols and Controls
Particular attention is paid to safety protocols and the appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as respiratory masks and hearing protection. Barbiani underlines the importance of adopting correct behavior to prevent risky situations: “In case of accidents, the intervention of the safety team is crucial in verifying and analyzing the root cause, which can result in the recall of the worker/s involved if itself did not operate in a manner consistent with the established protocols. If, however, the root cause derives from other reasons, corrective actions are put in place to prevent the event from recurring.” With this in mind, periodic inspections are conducted with inspections aimed at verifying that each worker is aware of the protocols to be respected.
OMR has long implemented annual campaigns to measure exposure levels to micropollutants within production environments. Depending on the intervention environments and their peculiarities, the monitoring is differentiated: for example, in a dusty environment the inhalable and respirable dust will be measured.
The occupational doctor has the task of drawing up the personalized internal protocol, while the assessment carried out on site determines the frequency of control measurements to be carried out. Targeted monitoring takes place in compliance with UNI regulations and other provisions established by industry standards.
Developing New Tools
To manage and have constant access to all information on the individual worker and on the verification status of the machines and equipment, an ad hoc management system was created with the collaboration of a specialized consultancy firm. This dynamic tool was developed according to internal needs and has allowed and continues to allow very satisfactory results to be obtained. Barbiani confirms: “With a simple internet connection I can retrieve the data at any time and in any place”.
The internal handling machines are also managed and monitored via a dedicated management system. The 53 forklifts, monitored by GPS with a function called zoning, automatically slow down in the covered areas, reaching a maximum of 5.8 km/h, thus helping the forklift driver to maintain a speed of walking pace.
Where in the past we relied on the common sense of workers, today there are specific operational constraints: only authorized workers can turn on the machine using a personal badge. If a forklift driver carries out disrespectful actions when using the machine, an alert is sent to the management system, the machine, the person, the time and what happened are traced. You contact the department head to ask for feedback and possibly open the analysis procedure”, specifies Claudio Barbiani.
Furthermore, to protect operators’ health and safety, another prevention measure has been adopted: forearm protection systems in summer, thus reducing the risk of exposure to cuts and burns.
Raising Staff Awareness
The company management has always given great importance to workplace safety, investing in resources and training. Recently the legislation has specifically provided for the obligation to supervise and suspend activity in case of danger and has strengthened the focus on the supervision and responsibility of department heads and shift leaders.
Claudio Barbiani worked as Prevention and Protection Service Manager (RSPP) for 6 years as an external consultant and in 2006 he became an internal figure at OMR. Over the years, there has been an evolution in sensitivity towards workplace safety, as new generations of workers have shown greater interest in this topic.
Safety is not just the responsibility of the EHS office, but involves all company departments. OMR promotes a safety culture that encourages the involvement and awareness of every worker. Training and awareness raising are constant, with the aim of creating an aware and responsible community.
Environmental Commitment
OMR is also dedicated to environmental sustainability, focusing on waste management, water treatment, and and the management and control of emissions. Continuous monitoring and adequate staff training ensure regulatory compliance and environmental stewardship. The company uses colors and visual signals to improve waste management understanding and practices. OMR invests in innovative technologies and strategies to reduce its environmental impact are essential to ensure compliance with regulations and environmental sustainability. Raising awareness among a large group of workers about environmental issues and supporting each one to contribute is not easy, but using colors and visual signals increasingly promotes better understanding and proper waste management. OMR invests in innovative technologies and strategies to limit the environmental impact of its activities, optimizing resource use in compliance with all environmental matrices: air, water, soil and subsoil, waste, and noise, respecting the needs of all stakeholders who share activities and processes, environment and territory, responsibilities, and goals with the company.
