Health & Safety
VEO raises the bar on HSEQ strategy
The year 2021 will be remembered as the time when VEO actively enhanced its processes and drew up detailed action plans to advance the company’s strategic goals in Health and Safety as well as Environmental and Quality targets (HSEQ). VEO also took a big leap towards carbon neutral operations.
Kim Råholm, Development and HSEQ director at VEO is satisfied with the outcome of 2021. Firstly, the extensive work of describing and visualising VEO’s main processes was successfully finalised, covering everything from sales to project management, deliveries, production, and on-site processes. This was an important step towards VEO’s strategic quality goals: standardised, safe and more effective processes, which are expected to increase work satisfaction and improve profitability in the short-term, while creating added value for VEO’s clients in the long run.
“We were able to shift our focus from simply describing processes to implementing them in different teams. As part of our continuous process development, we also increased and simplified the communication between different process stages, and introduced different check lists to improve quality”, Råholm sums up.
Action plans in check
Secondly, separate action plans were drawn for each sphere of HSEQ, which would run parallel to the VEO group’s new overall strategy. The short and long-term goals for each theme included in these plans are meant to create a new foundation for VEO’s sustainable, ethical, and socially responsible operations.
Since 2016, VEO has been one of only a handful of a Finnish companies to be consistently awarded the highest safety level classification by the Zero Accident Forum. In 2021, VEO succeeded again and reached Level I – In the World’s Forefront of Safety. This shows that prevention of especially electrical accidents succeeded splendidly and that laceration injuries during installation work were successfully avoided. Still, as Råholm points out, occupational health and safety requires continuous development on many levels. “Not only inside the factory but in all work environments, including work on site.”
Awareness and whistleblowing
Much of the work in 2021 had to do with raising awareness through information, trainings and campaigns, directed to own personnel as well as hired workforce and contractors. VEO also underlined the importance of whistleblowing by opening an anonymous reporting channel, accessible through VEO’s website, for anyone wanting to raise concerns about unethical or improper behaviour.
“Health and safety has become a regular theme at the beginning of every meeting, no matter if it’s between the company management or to inform the personnel. Likewise, team supervisors have been given health and safety related tasks to consider and discuss with their teams”, says Råholm.
Towards carbon-neutrality
As for the environment, VEO has embarked on a determined journey towards sustainable environmental operations. The main goal of the action plan is crystal clear – carbon neutral operations by 2030.The list of actions required to meet such carbon reduction targets is ambitious and covers many areas: the carbon footprint, waste, recycling rate, promotion of the circular economy, and reduction of any negative environmental impact. A big leap along that path was taken in 2021.
“In October, our factory and headquarters in Vaasa switched to CO2 neutral wind energy for electricity and heating. The switch will show its full effect in 2022 and reduce our carbon footprint significantly, as our Vaasa premises account for over 90 % of VEO’s electricity and heating needs”, says Råholm.
High level commitment
At VEO, commitment to environmental sustainability as well as continuous attention to health and safety are seen as important values, which also add to VEO’s competitive advantage, especially in the Nordic market. When it comes to HSEQ, Råholm praises VEO’s management for quick and effective decision making.
“Our directors showed their excellent support for VEO’s new strategy in terms of forwarding new processes, meeting procedures and spreading information within the organisation”, concludes Råholm.
