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Health & Safety

Although it was a difficult year in the economic aspect, the Occupational Health and Safety data improved, mainly due to the general decrease in production activity over the year.

In 2009, the number of lost-time accidents went down by 23.9% ; 10.1% of the accidents occurred during the journey to or from work and 89.9% at work.

In this context, the number of serious accidents in Spain fell by 26.4% and fatal accidents by 22% compared to the previous year.

These figures also improved in the industrial sector, where the number of serious accidents that occurred at work went down by 29% and fatal accidents by 26% compared to 2008.

Although this decrease derives mainly from the lower level of employment and production, the downward trend in the number of occupational accidents in Spain had already started before the crisis, as a result of the improved conditions of work in spanish companies.

More specifically, this trend also occurred in the steel industry, where the accident rate has continued to fall, due both to the decrease in production and to the commitment of the companies to improve occupational health and safety. A proof of this is the accident seriousness index in the sector, which, in 2009, was less than 0.6% . This shows that little by little we are approaching the objective to reduce the accident rate to zero.

In the area of Health & Safety, too, the steel companies, through UNESID, have continued to address issues relating to this matter.

In 2009, regulatory activity at a national level focused on the development of The Spanish Health and Safety Strategy (2007-2012). In the framework of this strategic plan, work continued on the Preparation of the National Plan for Training in Health & Safety, on the analysis of and proposals for measures to improve the quality and efficiency of the existing Health & Safety System, on the Reform of the National Committee on Occupational Health and Safety, and on the implementation of the “Voluntary Accident Reduction Program” (Prevea), among others.

In 2009, the companies in the steel sector, through UNESID, continued to work to improve the occupational accident rate through the development of the ENTALSID project: “System of practical training in work performed at heights in the steel sector”. This year, the project again received funding from the Foundation for Health & Safety and was supported by the Safety Commission of the Steel and Metal Industry, (CSIS), together with MCA-UGT, the CC.OO.’s Industry Federation, The Spanish Steel Technology Platform (PLATEA) and the UNESID Foundation. La Toba Development Centre also collaborated in the project.

In the framework of the ENTALSID project, a practical training tool was prepared for workers that perform work at heights or with associated auxiliary means. It is a self-learning tool, the main aim of which is that the workers should take decisions just as in real life situations and be able to analyse the consequences of their decisions when carrying out certain types of work.

The contents of the training tool are recorded on two DVDs. The first DVD is a “General and Specific Guide”, which gives a technical description on how to use certain auxiliary means, such as lifelines, ladders, wheeled scaffoldings, tubular scaffoldings, elevating platforms and how to perform maintenance work in travelling cranes. The second DVD contains an “Interactive training system” that recreates, virtually, work sequences involving risk when working with elevating platforms and lifelines.

Moreover, in 2009 (and reported to us at the beginning of 2010), the prevention activities carried out by the sector in recent years was acknowledged with an honorary mention at the 41st Edition of the National Safety Prize of the Association for the Prevention of Accidents (APA), specifically for the PREMASID project “System to Integrate Middle Managers in Prevention Activities in the Steel Industry”. The Foundation for Health & Safety collaborated in this project, which was supported by the Safety Commission of the Steel and Metal Industry, (CSIS), together with MCA-UGT, the CC.OO.’s Industry Federation, The Spanish Steel Technology Platform (PLATEA) and the UNESID Foundation. La Toba Development Centre also collaborated in it.

The purpose of these prizes is to stimulate and acknowledge the dedication and work effectively carried out to improve the safety of the workers and streamline its management, in the framework of the current legislation.