DANZER BLOG

What we do for our employees’ well-being

What we do for our employees’ well-being

In June 2017 we published our second sustainability report "Doing Our Part". To keep you up-to-date on our sustainability projects, we will publish updates to the report on the website and report on it in our blog. You can find a detailed first update of the Sustainability Report here.

What does the first update contain?
In terms of sustainability, we are guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standard and implement projects within the categories that are relevant to us. In the first update of the Danzer Sustainability Report, we tell you about our projects concerning SDG number 3 “Health and wellbeing” and number 5 “Gender equality”.

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Our employees’ health and well-being are important to us
The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #3 is, “To ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” The text suggests that, “You can raise awareness in your community about the importance of good health and a healthy lifestyle.”
So far so good. But what precisely can a company do to work towards this goal?
Danzer Veneer and Lumber North America have established a Wellness Program to provide employees the tools to better understand and manage their health. This initiative has included a comprehensive review and explanation of health care benefits provided by Danzer, as well as company-sponsored Biometric screenings. These screenings, which are an important component of a health management program, help employees learn about their current health status and identify health risks and disease conditions which can lead to illness and serious disease. A Walking Challenge has also been organized for employees in North America to encourage an increase in physical activity and well-being. The success speaks for itself: 85 % of North American employees joined the Walking Challenge voluntarily.

No power to drugs
The SDG 3 target, “Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol,” is relevant to Danzer as an employer in communities affected by rising trends in drug and alcohol consumption. Only one random test was positive of 344 total tests. All facilities have a no tolerance drug and alcohol policy.

Danzer walking challenge

Environment and safety always in mind
SDG 3 encompasses employee safety; something that we prioritize at all production sites.
In July, Danzer rebuilt its internal safety and environmental online system (ESMS) to improve reporting and track that problems are fixed. This system is the recordkeeping arm of Danzer’s Grievance Mechanism and Integrity Line. Since July 2018 36 of 48 reported Environmental and Safety issues have been fixed and reviewed by management and the rest are scheduled.

FUN at Danzer
Ongoing training of employees keeps environment, safety, and health issues a priority. The 2016 Danzer Sustainability Report illustrated the need to make environment, health and safety (EHS) training uniform across Danzer. In 2018, Danzer developed our new training approach called FUN and launched it in January 2019. It engages all levels of the production and office staff in teams that cross work functions. Each group of 2-3 small teams will meet at least once per month for a short game to reinforce safe behavior and good conduct.

FUN training blogThe FUN training program engages all learning types in a physically active “fun” setting.

A constant process
The SDG 3 covers a variety of options around the topic of health. The measures mentioned here are part of a process of continual review and development toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. We look forward to regularly keeping you up-to-date on this and other developments as part of our Sustainability Report.
If you are interested in the previous sustainability reports and detailed updates, you can find them here.

SDG Poster US blog

 

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About the Author

Cathy Lynn Danzer

Sustainability and Compliance Counsel

Cathy Lynn Danzer has been working with Danzer since 1994. With her degrees in Environmental Engineering and Law, she developed Environmental and Safety Management Systems according to the ISO14001 standard for all of Danzer’s manufacturing operations. In her role as Sustainability and Compliance Counsel for Danzer, she focuses on sustainability reporting, advises international standards bodies, and conducts risk assessment and mitigation programs. She lives with her husband and three children in the European Alps and enjoys reading, creative writing, hiking and running, and all family activities