Orange helmets keeping the workplace safe

A new safety procedure was launched recently in ArcelorMittal Ostrava. Its aim is to help reduce injuries at work. The programme is based on the colour of their helmets.

To attract immediate attention to the workers at a plant, everyone with orange helmets is the primary aim of this great initiative. You don’t have to say a single word about who you are. The helmets speak for themselves.

After 6 months, the foremen or superiors decide what colour helmets their subordinates will wear. If a foreman considers that a worker is not experienced enough yet, he can prolong this period up to a year. The rational behind this procedure is supported by the official Czech statistics. It reports that 30 percent of all work injuries happen to the employees who do their job for less than a year.

“Consistency is a must when new rules are being introduced. If the rules are to be adhered to by the Company’s employees, they have to be obligatory for the Management as well,” explained Sanjay.

The number of accidents at ArcelorMittal Ostrava has been decreasing significantly year by year. In 2007 the Company, with seven and half thousand employees, reported only 25 lost-time accidents, which was less than half in comparison to 2006. Last September ArcelorMittal Ostrava was awarded five stars for safety (the highest possible score) by international company IRCA Global.

Photo left to right: Sanjay Samaddar, Chairman of the Board and Jefferson de Paula, VP and member of LCE Management Committee.