Key Elements for Reducing Workplace Accidents and Enhancing Occupational Safety

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Key Elements for Reducing Workplace Accidents and Enhancing Occupational Safety

Key Elements for Reducing Workplace Accidents and Enhancing Occupational Safety

Magtel is a technology-based company founded over 30 years ago, during which it has successfully diversified into various fields, including telecommunications, energy, engineering, civil works, and construction. Over the years, company management identified the need to unify and align preventive criteria across all the companies within the group, regardless of their structure or activity.

Initially, the control and management of risks associated with the work performed were carried out through the corresponding “in-vigilandos,” taking into account individual site visits and addressing corrective actions at the moment they were detected.

With the aim of implementing a comprehensive vision of health and safety, and ultimately achieving the real and effective integration of a preventive culture across the company, the Health and Safety Department introduced a new approach to risk management. This approach allows not only the proposal of corrective measures but also preventive measures based on observations, drawing on systems learned through synergies with other companies and clients over the years and adapting them to our specific organizational context.

This model enables us to reach all levels of the production system. In this way, the Occupational Accident Prevention Indicator (IPAL) was implemented. The basic objective of IPAL is to minimize workplace accidents across the company, taking into account all participants in the corporate structure.

More specifically, it is defined as a way to measure the detected risk of a technician suffering a workplace accident in a given management area. The focus is on acting before an accident occurs, learning from observations and detections to prioritize prevention rather than reaction.

The indicator considers detected risk based on two variables: consequence and frequency, in relation to the inspections carried out. Specifically, it accounts for:

  • The state of health and safety in the tasks performed, based on the clients visited.
  • The geographical scope.
  • The rating of area managers.
  • The rating of project or site managers/supervisors.
  • Incidents or observations categorized by areas of action, including: personal protective equipment, work procedures, signage and protection, working conditions, personnel identification and competence, vehicles and machinery, first aid, the five golden rules, circuit entry authorization, risk identification/5-minute safety briefings, and materials, equipment, and tools.

To objectively assess safety during inspected activities, a risk matrix is used. The entire process is digitalized through a dedicated app, through which the “in-vigilandos” are conducted, and the results are visualized using Power BI. This allows for rapid, clear decision-making regarding the prevention of identified risks.

However, the focus is not solely on data collection. By managing and controlling the obtained values, the model has successfully integrated a preventive culture across all levels of the production chain, resulting in a substantial 40% reduction in workplace accidents over the past year.

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