Occupational Safety Guidelines at Salzgitter AG
We share a collective responsibility for the health and safety of the people within our Group companies. Our responsibility arises from our commitment to the well-being and physical integrity of our own employees, as well as the employees of partner companies, customers, suppliers, and our visitors.
Compliance with applicable laws and self-imposed obligations is fundamental to us. Our understanding of responsible occupational health and safety (OHS) does not end with legal compliance; it is an integral part of our corporate activities. We are convinced that a safety culture lived together - consistent in its expectations and implementation across the Group - contributes to the success of our sustainable corporate strategy. Reducing the frequency of accidents is firmly anchored as a target in our Salzgitter AG 2030 Group Strategy.
Employees and managers have access to extensive voluntary offerings to promote their mental and physical health - both for the workplace and beyond, throughout their entire working lives.
Our Group Directive on Occupational Health and Safety defines the OHS strategy as well as the components and standards of OHS management within the Salzgitter Group. In addition to our own employees, this directive includes all partner companies operating within our Group companies.
Although the varying requirements in the individual business units and Group companies of Salzgitter AG necessitate decentralized operational handling of safety issues, the focus remains on consistent, Group-wide continuous improvement in six key areas: Leadership and Responsibility, Hazard Identification and Risk Management, Health, Competencies and Training, Performance Management, and Suppliers/Contractors. The involvement of our co-determination bodies and employees is essential in this process, both at the Group level and within the individual companies.
Through regular training and communication measures, we challenge and promote safety awareness among employees for themselves and others. Cooperation with partner companies is specified through corresponding requirements, such as general and job-specific briefings, within a framework of external contractor management.
Through our Group OHS Working Group, which reports directly to the Executive Board Member for Personnel and Industrial Relations Director, we ensure a Group-wide exchange on health and safety issues and support the Group companies in continuously improving occupational safety in their operations.
The methodology is to be described in an OHS management system within each individual Group company. These are based on the requirements of ISO 45001. Currently, 72% of our employees in Germany and abroad are already covered by an occupational health and safety management system certified according to ISO 45001.
Further information on occupational safety at Salzgitter AG, as well as corresponding key performance indicators (KPIs), is provided regularly as part of our Non-Financial Report.
SALCOS® - We turn steel green
With SALCOS®, we have joined forces with partners from industry and research to lay the foundations for virtually CO2-free steel production. Central elements of the concept are electricity from renewable sources and its use in the production of hydrogen by means of electrolysis. This green hydrogen will replace the coal we currently use in the conventional blast furnace process. This will be possible with the help of so-called direct reduction plants, in which iron ore is reduced to iron directly in the solid state by hydrogen. This technology emits water vapor instead of CO2.
Our SALCOS® program thus pursues the Carbon Direct Avoidance approach, which stands for avoiding the generation of CO2 in steel production from the outset. Overall, our approach enables us to reduce CO2 emissions in steel production by over 95 %.
