Health and Safety

Finmeccanica in the UK has a comprehensive and effective occupational health and safety management system that is clearly defined and well documented. There is a strong culture of continuous improvement in health and safety, taking into account specific circumstances
within each operating company. Our dedicated Health and Safety teams work alongside the country’s leading health and safety advisers to manage the evolution and promotion of this system by:

• Constantly monitoring new legislation and regulations
• Defining guidelines continuously to improve workplace safety
• Providing support to operating companies for safety training initiatives
• Coordinating regular safety audits and risk assessments
• Monitoring wellbeing statistics to establish health guidelines
• Communicating the importance of safety in the workplace internally

Legislation in the UK requires that employers have appropriate arrangements in place for the management and control of health and safety at work (HASWA 1974). All Finmeccanica operating companies either hold or are working towards OHSAS18001*, which is an internationally accepted health and safety standard that recognises expertise in risk assessment, operational control and readiness for emergency.

An illustration of the effectiveness of Finmeccanica’s health and safety programmes is provided by developments at SELEX Galileo’s Luton site (with a workforce of 1,000 employees). The site achieved the maximum, five-star rating following a rigorous audit by the British Safety Council. The audit reviewed the performance of the site, including health and safety management and the implementation of associated systems, leading to a world-class overall score of 94%.

SELEX Galileo has also recently been awarded the ‘Sword of Honour’ which is the highest achievable health and safety certification.

^{*OHSAS – Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Specification}

Driving for Work policy gets green light for safety

All our UK locations have introduced, or are working towards, a Driving for Work policy that promotes safety when driving is necessary and encourages greener, more sustainable alternatives when it is not.

Our employees are encouraged to consider the use of public transport as a safer option, or to use the network of video and audio-conferencing systems that link all the sites and avoid the risk and environmental harm of travelling altogether. But with almost 10,000 employees spread across many different locations in the UK, there remains an unavoidable requirement for road travel. The group-wide Driving for Work policy gives
practical advice on planning and making car journeys safely. It explains the dangers of fatigue and distractions while driving, and stresses the importance of legal observance (including the law relating to mobile phone use).

Most of our operating companies have ceased fitting hands-free kits on company vehicles to discourage all phone use while driving. All employees are expected to drive safely and line managers are expected to lead by example.

The Global Corporate Challenge: improved fitness and lighter carbon footprints

280 employees last year improved their personal wellbeing and reduced their carbon footprint as part of the Global Corporate Challenge (GCC).
The GCC is a corporate health initiative that aims to increase employee fitness levels while promoting teamwork and a positive, competitive spirit. Over the course of the challenge, 71 teams, containing a total of 497 employees, competed to see who could walk or cycle the furthest, as measured by their GCC pedometers.

The distances were then plotted against a theoretical route around the world. Some teams walked the equivalent distance from the Taj Mahal in Agra, to Nairobi in Kenya; while others walked the equivalent of six of the ten Munros in the Mamores range near Fort William.

The health benefits gained by taking part in this popular challenge include increased levels of fitness, weight loss and higher energy levels. Many participants also maintained that they would keep up their new habits and again participate in this year’s event. And with all the extra walking and cycling journeys has come a reduction in car use, leading to lower carbon footprints.

Health and Safety drives innovation

Not only is Health and Safety a critically important factor in how we run and manage our operations, it also has a significant impact on how we design and deliver capability for our customers. The drive to continually monitor and improve health and safety at work has inspired a number
of products, systems and technologies which the Finmeccanica companies have delivered into the market-place. For example, we supply to the UK Armed Forces several headset systems that are designed to allow continued operation whilst mitigating the problem of severe background noise.