Safe working environment

Commitment to Health & Safety (HSE)

We provide a safe working environment. Health and safety at work is a central leadership issue at Implenia, but also an obligation for each and every individual. Clear rules, a personal sense of responsibility and continuous process improvement lie at the heart of our efforts to minimise risks and promote a positive safety culture. 

When it comes to health and safety at work, we take a rigorous approach to prevention and use targeted measures to raise every employee’s risk-awareness.

Safety at work is a leadership issue

Guided by the principle that “safety at work is a leadership issue”, everyone at Implenia – from Executive Committee to foreman to each individual employee – is called upon to keep on making things safer. Safety is a matter of ingrained habit that has to be applied every day anew. 

In recent years we have launched numerous initiatives and created various structures to minimise risks on our construction sites. Almost 100% of the Group’s roughly 300 units now have ISO 45001 certification: Implenia has a well developed internal Health & Safety organisation with clearly defined responsibilities, regulations and processes. If any accidents do happen, they are systematically recorded and evaluated, with corrective measures taken wherever necessary. These measures are based on an obligatory discussion between the people involved and their line managers to clarify the causes of an accident. 

Clear safety rules

Prevention depends on rules – and on compliance with these rules. Our Code of Conduct obliges all employees to comply with all safety regulations without exception. But people can only follow rules if they know and understand them. This is why we make sure that Implenia’s rules are transparent and straightforward, and why we take steps to actively encourage acceptance of the rules, rather than relying solely on control measures.  

The most important thing of all is to say “stop” if a situation appears to be unsafe for you or for others. Our employees are encouraged to pause their work in these circumstances. It is their right, but also their duty. Our employees can also take first aid courses so that they are able to help in an emergency. 

Another component of our prevention programme is the monthly “15 Minute Safety” training session, which is held across the Group and which has proved effective on the ground. The sessions are used to deepen engagement with safety themes on construction sites and encourage communication between workers. We are also working to establish a positive error culture that allows people to speak openly about mistakes, so they can be avoided in future. 

Our Safety Rules

Health management and prevention 

The job of our internal occupational health team (OHM) is to support injured and ill employees during their recovery and help integrate them back into work when they are better. The team also looks for suitable posts, possibly adapted ones, for returning workers. External social partners are called on for support where necessary.  

We at Implenia know that prevention is better than cure, which is why we provide preventive measures and training courses at local level. If our employees have mental health issues, they can access an external advisory service, ICAS, at any time.

Health & Safety Award

Implenia has been offering the Health & Safety Award since 2015: an annual award that highlights the great importance of occupational health and safety and motivates employees to take even more responsibility and initiative. All Implenia employees are invited to nominate a construction site, a team or a person for the award. A jury of internal safety experts then determines the shortlist. Afterwards, a jury with representatives from management determines the ranking of the three nominees. The award allows good practice in occupational safety and health to be shared with the entire Implenia Group.

In the following videos, the three finalists of the Health & Safety Award 2024 present themselves: 

In 2024, first place was awarded to the project team of Kabeldiagonale Berlin for their innovative and safe approach to cleaning pipes on tunnel construction sites. Second place went to the unit Baumeister Basel for introducing shoe claws to minimise the risk of slipping on smooth surfaces. Third place went to the Safety Push programme from Implenia Sweden, which is continuously improving the safety culture.

1st place: Safe pipe cleaning, Kabeldiagonale Berlin
2nd place: Shoe claws, Baumeister Basel
3rd place: Safety Push, Implenia Sweden

Attractive working environment at Implenia