Skanska strengthens focus on Health and Safety and establishes new Group Staff Unit with Neil Moore as SVP
Skanska is further strengthening its focus on health and safety and is establishing a new Group Staff Unit to lead the development within these areas. Neil Moore has been appointed SVP for Safety and head of the new unit, reporting to Mats Williamson, Executive Vice President and member of the Skanska Senior Executive Team.
“Safety is one of the core values at Skanska and our very highest priority, every day, for all people and in all of the places where we work. Now we further strengthen our focus on decreasing the number of accidents and improving work safety,” says Johan Karlström, Skanska’s President and CEO.
Since 2004 Skanska has had the vision of reaching zero work place accidents. The number of lost-time accidents among employees has declined by more than 50 percent. The company is taking extensive measures to further reduce the number of accidents.
During 2010 eight new Global Safety Standards were introduced and extensive training programs have been conducted. Analyses of safety risks are now mandatory in all construction projects. Skanska has also taken the initiative to increase the focus on accidents that could have been serious but in which no one was injured.
Safety efforts are measured and carefully followed up, and results regularly are compared between Skanska business units to spread knowledge and lessons learned between the units. As of 2009, a Global Safety Stand Down was introduced following a workplace fatality during which all work is stopped on Skanska’s worksites to discuss the lessons to be learned and pay respects to the deceased.
Skanska’s safety focus is on preventing accidents through improved understanding of safety hazards and greater safety knowledge.
Neil Moore is 57 years old and has been working with health and safety in Skanska since 2000. He has a civil engineering degree from Aston University in the U.K. He will report to Mats Williamson, Executive Vice President and member of the Skanska Senior Executive Team.
Health and Safety is part of Skanska’s commitment to sustainability and has been lead by Group Staff Unit Sustainability and Green Support. This unit will now continue their focus on other areas within Sustainability and on Green Support, headed by Noel Morrin, Senior Vice President.