A policy for safety- our security team

This is our Production Manager, André Oostdam, in the middle of the photo with our company security team members Ron Ligtvoet and Sebastiaan Koopmans. That morning, they had a shocking experience when one of their colleagues passed out. But thanks to the skills of the BHV team (BedrijfsHulpVerlening – company emergency response measures), an ambulance was on site in no time.

What happened: André: “I am responsible for the production floor, including its personnel. When I got the call that one of the guys passed out and didn’t seem to be receiving consciousness, I hurried downstairs from my office. Although it was a shocking experience, I was glad to see that the team had already set the procedures in motion: dividing tasks, warning the two BHV-certified colleagues in the photo and calling the national emergency number 112. The colleague was taken to the hospital in Leiden and appeared to be fine the same day. We were left in shock when the ambulance left, and Irma, our Operations Director, assembled everybody to evaluate and share experiences. Evaluation is already an important part of our process management, it’s an effect method to discuss unexpected issues we encounter during the production process. We not only focus on the issues of course, celebrating successes is also part of our evaluation strategy.

Working safely on a production floor is essential for yourself and your colleagues. Always work with somebody around and maintain regular eye contact. I think people in offices should follow the same rules. Everybody in the workshop and warehouse, including André and Ron, is also VCA-certified (Veiligheid en gezondheid Checklist voor Aannemers – Safety, Health and Environment Checklist for Contractors). We like a joyful working environment, but we love safety.”