Our commitment to safety was evident in our 2023 safety metrics, which reflected a 10% yearly reduction in Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR), 20% fewer injuries, and, most notably, zero significant injuries. But how can we improve these numbers? The absence of incidents is the result of effective safety systems and tools.

By looking at safety objectively, we find ways to improve. For example, we’ve conducted over 42,000 Behavioral Based Safety Observations, equivalent to over 7,000 hours of safety engagement, to proactively observe employees performing critical tasks and promote safety. These proactive work observations contribute to the ongoing reduction of injuries across Dematic operations.

We also made significant progress towards our health and safety objective for ISO 45001 management systems certification across Dematic facilities. Dematic ended 2023 with nearly 100% of all major work factory and business locations certified — up from 82% in 2022. And we’re working on our secondary locations to finalize their approach during 2024. We also continue to invest in the Dematic health and safety journey through new corporate security and crisis management initiatives that will roll out in 2024.

To continue our progress, we’ve again asked our global team to recommit to safety to ensure our employees, project team members, and subcontractors return home safely each day. While we successfully increased Behavior-Based Safety Observations and Last-Minute Risk Assessments last year, we know we must stay vigilant.

The real purpose behind Ready, Safe + Sound is to keep every task centered on people. Whether at home or on the jobsite, safety starts with a clear state of mind. While we focus on the job site, the Ready, Safe + Sound mindset applies to all aspects of our lives.

The processes behind what we do and how we work are part of management systems for operating safely. However, what matters most is how our people interact within the system — what they do to ensure proper thought is given to what it will take to install our equipment, to operate it, to maintain it. We don’t leave outcomes to chance. We follow processes. We do this to stay Ready, Safe, + Sound. 

We seek to eliminate any misperception between safety and cost. While audits and risk assessments take time, leaders recognize that they're accountable for keeping all teams safe. So here are a few of the actions that we take:

• Starting every meeting with a safety moment.
  
• Managing our subcontractors by setting expectations for excellence.
• Revisiting our Hand Injury Prevention tips and our the Eight Life Saving rules. 
• Hosting RS+S rallies at project sites and inviting all employees to recommit. 

With these steps, we have made some real progress toward a safer Dematic. But we are striving to do even better. We hope to keep this momentum going and continue to improve our operations at work while creating safety habits for use at home. Together, we are committed to building a sustainable safety culture that’s Ready, Safe + Sound.