World Safety at Work Day

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) observes World Day for Safety and Health at Work on 28 April each year. The initiative, which began in 2003, is an international campaign promoting safe, healthy and decent work around the globe.

World Safety at Work Day is an excellent time to recognise the importance of work health and safety to prevent work-related fatalities and injuries.

This year’s theme is ‘A safe and healthy working environment is a fundamental principle and right at work’.

We caught up with Steve Messam, Chemring’s HSE Director, to talk safety on this special day.

Explains Steve, “At Chemring, safety is more than a priority. It’s one of our values – safety, innovation, and excellence – and it always comes first. Every one of our employees has a fundamental right to go to work, to be safe at work and to return home safely. 

“On World Safety at Work Day, I encourage Chemring employees at all our sites to look out for one another. A friendly reminder to a colleague to wear their PPE or to follow the procedures could make all the difference in keeping them and their co-workers safe.

“For our leaders across Chemring, like every day, their focus is on the key safety issues that affect their businesses. By looking at the data and understanding the common and reoccurring themes at their sites, they can ensure the right areas are being prioritised.”

Safety at work also encompasses health and wellbeing, and to encourage people to focus on their wellbeing and to create some healthy competition, Chemring is running an Around Chemring in 80 Days Challenge. Teams of Chemring colleagues around the world are signing up to collectively run, walk, cycle, or swim as many miles as they can to make it around all the Chemring sites in 80 days. And today, 28 April, is the last day to sign up. 

Adds Steve, “Around Chemring in 80 Days is a fun initiative to create some teams and together promote healthy working and a healthy lifestyle. It’s good to have a balance and focus not only on process safety risks and controls but also on the health and wellbeing side of the workplace. With this campaign, we’re putting health and wellbeing front and centre.