Sustainability Report 2012 - Generali Versicherung AG

HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THEWORKPLACEThe Group guaranteesworking conditions thatrespect the dignity of everyindividual, providing itsemployees with healthy,safe and protectedworking environmentsin accordance withcurrent health andsafety regulations. Itpays particular attentionto pregnant women,mothers and workerswith disabilities.Legislative Decree no. 81 of 9 April 2008, Testo Unicoin material di tutela della salute e della sicurezza neiluoghi di lavoro, is in force in Italy and in the insuranceindustry is joined by the Agreement for the Protectionof Health and Safety in the Workplace (Attachment toNational Collective Bargaining Agreement 7 March 2012)which regulates the Representation of Workers in termsof Safety. In most Group companies (except in Germanyand Switzerland), there are protocols of understandingor formal agreements in place with the trade unions thatgovern health and safety issues in the National CollectiveBargaining Agreements, such as the participation ofemployee representatives in: inspections and audits onthe health and safety of employees, investigations intoaccidents, training, commitments regarding performancegoals or the level of practices to adopt, periodicinspections and the presence of joint health and safetycommittees.Most of the Group companies have a Health and SafetyCommittee or a Group Risk Prevention Service designedto evaluate risk, monitor and manage problems relating torisk prevention and protection of the health of employees asthey go about their professional activities. On average, 70%of the Group employees are represented by joint company/employee committees.Employees are trained in and informed about regulationsin force in the area of health and safety, risk preventionand what to do in the event of an emergency or a firethrough various materials (brochures, pamphlets,dedicated notice boards, e-learning courses and thecorporate intranet). At the end of the courses, thereare tests to find out how much the participants havelearned. Ad hoc training and refresher courses are alsoorganised for employees with special responsibilitiesin the event of medical emergencies or fires. In 2012,15,076 employees had medical check-ups (eye tests,ergonomic and posture assessments).The Group also evaluates the risks and identifiesthe causes of work-related stress. To prevent thisoccupational illness, the Group has: set up trainingcourses, workshops and surveys, created dedicatedteams, reduced overtime, introduced flexible workinghours and taken action as regards its various worksitesin order to make sure that the workplaces are able toensure employee safety, to provide more comfortableworking conditions and to increase the efficiency andreliability of machinery and equipment. In Germany andSpain the Group also monitors absenteeism caused bywork-related stress.During the year, the costs incurred by the Group for thehealth and safety of its employees - including healthmonitoring costs, first-aid and fire-fighting classroomtraining costs, the costs of equipping emergency teams,medical check-ups (eye tests, ergonomic and postureassessments), the costs of making working conditionsmore comfortable, etc. - came to 28.8 million euros, thesame as the previous year.There were 609 accidents in 2012 compared with682 in 2011 (-10.7%). Of these, 327 were commutingaccidents, one of which fatal, caused by traffic accidentson the route between home and work. The remaining282 happened at work, with most accidents in Italyconsisting of falls down stairs and minor cuts. Overseas,most accidents involved sales staff out in the field, oneof which was fatal and two of which resulted in seriousdisability. The number of accidents involving womencame to 220 (36.1%), none of which were fatal or serious.In 2012, absenteeism as a result ofaccidents, calculated as the ratio of daysoff work as a result of accidents to thetotal number of working days in the yearmultiplied by the size of the workforceat year-end, fell from 0.11% in 2011 to0.09%.Absenteeismrate at0.09%UNION RELATIONS ANDTRANSNATIONAL SOCIAL DIALOGUEThe Group recognises the right of its employees to joina trade union, to appoint workers’ representatives andto exercise the relative functions (including the right tocollective bargaining), in accordance with freedom ofassociation and with local regulations and practices.The Group’s employees are free to join trade unions. InItaly, 38.9% of employees are union members; meanwhile,figures on trade union membership in other countries arenot available because registration to trade unions takesplace externally and companies are not informed forreasons of privacy. In France, companies are specificallyEMPLOYEES | 55