World meat industry news

Cherkizovo Group, Russia’s largest manufacturer of meat products, summarises measures taken in 2021 to improve occupational health and safety processes.

In 2021, Cherkizovo Group facilities continued implementing a risk-oriented and proactive approach to health and safety. Following the introduction of the Near Miss system and behavior based safety (BBS) audits at pilot facilities, the Company identified some 10,000 dangerous situations and prevented around 11,000 dangerous actions. Proposals submitted by employees helped improve labor conditions and make the workspace safer and more convenient.

The reliance on Near Miss and BBS audits resulted in a more than 30 % reduction in occupational accidents related to failure to use personal protective equipment and failure to shut down equipment. There was also an over 60 % decline in the number of accidents caused by rush work. The number of chemical (thermal) burns and falling object accidents was reduced to zero.

In 2022, Near Miss and BBS audits are expected to be rolled out across all Cherkizovo facilities.

In 2021, the Company stepped up its health and safety expenditure, with expenses related to employee training going up by 10 %, medical check-ups and examinations by 27 %, and provision of personal protective equipment by almost 30 %. Last year, Cherkizovo trained an equivalent of 5,202 employees in occupational health and safety, an increase of 24 %, and organised 323 internal workshops on corporate safety standards.

Also, in 2021, permanent Steering Committees on Health and Safety were set up in each of the Group’s segments. They are responsible for looking into injuries and incidents to develop preventive measures and share best practices.