Occupational health and safety: a priority for parts and accessories logistics department

• Renault is a global benchmark for vehicle safety. The Group’s relentless focus on safety also covers the health and safety of employees in the workplace – a priority for Renault.
• Signed on April 28, 2011, by all Renault’s Parts & Accessories stores worldwide, as well as every employee, the ‘Villeroy Charter’ commits staff to the priority of occupational health and safety.
• Jérôme Stoll, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing of the Renault group, visited the Villeroy Parts & Accessories store in France on April 2, 2012, to mark the progress in working conditions. The number of occupational accidents was reduced by 60 percent in 2011.

Occupational health and safety at Renault’s Parts & Accessories stores was within industry standards, but fell short of the exemplary safety record of the group’s plants.

In 2011, Renault’s Parts & Accessories Logistics Department (DLPA) made occupational health and safety the main priority of its managerial policy in its 30 or so Parts & Accessories stores around the world. Set out in 12 languages, the “Safety: my Priority” Charter* was signed by all DLPA employees, from operators through to senior managers.

The Charter – far from being a token measure – signalled out working conditions as the key performance driver at DLPA. Good working conditions improve operators’ comfort on the job while boosting the quality of customer service.

The whole Department was involved in improving working conditions – operators, workshop supervisors, BWT supervisors, ergonomics specialists, logistics engineering technicians, the packaging unit, business managers, methods managers and representatives from the Health, Safety and Working Conditions Committee.

The measures and action plans implemented in 2011 have produced very encouraging results. Occupational accidents requiring leave were more than halved compared with 2010.

“ While there was previously much room for improvement, occupational health and safety at DLPA now matches the exemplary safety record of our plants. Everyone across the entire Department has got on board like never before to improve safety in the workplace – both managers and operators have made safety an integral part of their jobs ,” said Jérôme Stoll, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing of the Renault group, on April 2, 2012 during a visit to Villeroy, Renault’s newest Parts & Accessories store.

After his visit, Jérôme Stoll chaired the judging panel of the international competition of drawings by children of DLPA employees.

Prizes in the ‘Draw Mum or Dad safe at work’ competition were awarded to the 10 best entries, with two prizes in each category: 4-7 year-olds and 8-11 year-olds. The aim of the competition was to raise awareness among children and their parents of occupational health and safety issues and engage with them. Entries were submitted by children from a host of countries, including France, Brazil, Hungary and Italy.

Jérôme Stoll encouraged Parts & Accessories employees to keep up the good work: “This is an area which requires the utmost vigilance every minute of the day.”

* ‘Villeroy Charter’, named after the Villeroy Parts & Accessories store in Villeroy, France, where the Charter originated.