In 2019, Russian meat, poultry and grain company Cherkizovo Group managed to reduce its Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) from 14% to 1.71%. Over the course of the year, there were no fatalities reported at the company’s production facilities; neither were there any major collective accidents, the company reported
Hazardous production facilities of the group reported no emergencies in 2019 either. The main causes of injuries were falls. During the past year they accounted for 28% of all accidents (down 1% year-on-year). There were also 3% fewer stab wounds, which accounted for 16% of all accidents in 2019.
By contrast, 2019 saw an increase in the number of traffic accidents during the transportation of employees by third-party providers (12% of all accidents). In response to this, the company has changed its safety requirements for the providers of passenger transportation services. In addition, new causes of accidents, which had not occurred in 2018, emerged, including injuries sustained when repairing equipment or handling chemicals.
The total number of sick days due to occupational accidents decreased by 13% in 2019.
The Occupational Health and Safety Policy adopted by the company in 2019 contributed to an improvement in injury statistics at production facilities. Its main principles include the creation of a safe working environment, a risk identification and management system, a hazard information system, and a system for training employees in occupational health and safety requirements and standards.
In 2019, Cherkizovo Group increased its health and safety expenditure by 70%. The allocated funds were used to provide workers with personal protective equipment, organize educational programs on the causes of injuries, take certain technical measures, etc. Over the last year, the company trained an equivalent of 2,071 employees (with some employees having taken more than one course) in occupational health and safety and organized 75 workshops on corporate safety standards.
In 2019, Cherkizovo Group identified and investigated 426 microtrauma injuries at its facilities. The company adopted a practice of identifying and investigating microtrauma injuries like injections, cuts, abrasions and other minor injuries that do not result in temporary disability or transfer of an employee to another job. This practice has allowed the company to better understand the causes of occupational accidents and enabled a proactive approach to accident prevention.
