3 questions to Fabrice Rauturier

At the end of the year, check out the actions taken in 2019 with Fabrice Rauturier, Head of Axione’s Process and Support Department for an ever-increasing commitment to safety on the part of employees.

Why is there a “safety week” when it is something that all the directors and managers at Axione worry about every day and that is entrenched in all the rules and practices?

The issue of health and safety comes right at the top of our list of priorities and is something that we’re constantly thinking about every day. However, paradoxically, if you talk about it enough, it can become routine and you may end up getting complacent. People need reminders. A meeting like the one which we are now holding each year focusing on this issue will make everyone stop and challenge themselves, ask themselves how they can improve, share their good practices and take inspiration from others’ good practices. By bringing worksites to a stop so that everyone can attend the event, this sends out a strong signal. In 2017, there was the BYCN Health and Safety Day, where twelve fundamental rules were circulated. These are core rules, which apply to all group worksites throughout the world. In 2018, safety days were once again held in our agencies, but spread out across the year. In 2019, these days have been conceived as events for bringing BYES teams together. In order to ensure that the teams make the most of them, we entrust the managers at each agency with choosing the best day of the week for them and putting together the programmes for them with the support of occupational health and safety experts. These programmes are based around workshops with role-play scenarios, led by Axione or external facilitators. The managers on-site choose the themes and the approaches, based on their priorities and their specific circumstances. It’s really varied, without falling into gimmicks: it ranges from road safety and first-aid techniques though to using safety equipment and exercises for warming up your muscles, not to mention using a fire extinguisher and detecting addictions. This fun and enjoyable format is also a unique opportunity to bring together the teams, who rarely get the opportunity to get together at an agency level.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges when it comes to occupational health and safety for a company like Axione?

Our company is growing rapidly and this creates specific risks. Consequently, the majority of the accidents recorded at Axione involve employees who have been working at the company for less than a year. As a result, new employees, including new managers and middle managers overseeing the teams, should really have a grasp of the rules quickly, and these days are perfect opportunities. At Axione, safety is paramount and is everyone’s responsibility at all levels. Everyone has a duty to make sure at all times that they and the people around them, such as colleagues, sub-contractors, clients and passersbys, are safe. This is part of our culture, which everyone absolutely must share. For example, newcomers must know straightaway that not only should they be aware of and comply with the guidelines, but they should also alert their higher-ups if there is an incident. Procedures are in place for this. Some incidents, which may seem insignificant, could be potentially highly serious. Therefore, they must be reported and assessed in order to improve prevention. Clear assessment of errors and mistakes, without shaming people, can help everyone to move forward together. Reporting incidents helps! This is not necessarily natural behaviour, but we’re working on it.

What outcomes are you expecting from these days and how are you going to follow them up?

The feedback has been very positive. Based on what has been shared on social media and through all the other channels, staff at all agencies went away with memories of the workshops that they attended and the wonderful interactions that they had with their colleagues. They are happily sharing them. Managers are very engaged and are very proud of how successful their events have been. They have asked for them to be held again each year. We are already thinking about next year.