Different activities took place at offices and projects aimed at raising awareness of the need to create a safe and responsible work environment.

Techint Engineering & Construction held its Workplace Health and Safety Week from April 22 to 26, hosted by offices and at projects where number of training sessions were held to strengthen the company’s pillars of quality, occupational health, safety and environment. These are initiatives that provide employees, help, year after year, with the tools and knowhow they need to identify, evaluate and manage the risks associated with daily tasks, fostering a workplace environment where safety, caring for people’s wellbeing and looking after the facilities where they work, are a priority.

Training for everyone

The week included various training sessions given online for over 470 attendees, the idea being to foster a stronger prevention culture throughout the company. They covered topics ranging from workplace safety and sustainability to energy efficiency and quality. Participants were encouraged to exchange their ideas and reflections about the company's different activities throughout the sessions.

The first day’s talks were given by Valeria Hinding, Medical Services Manager, and Milaxis Alcalá from ActivateCo-Smart Work for People, as well as the Federación Patronal team. They took a deep dive into the subject of “Ergonomics in the office” and provided attendees with recommendations about how to develop good habits such as a proper posture and taking active breaks when at work.

On the second day, Alejandro Sarubbi, Chief QHSE Officer, Pablo Noce, Project QHSE Sr. Manager at the SADDN, Tamara Engelmann, Quality Engineer at the TTS project, and Julián Palermo, Quality Engineer, spoke about Quality Management. On the third day, Techint E&C’s Sustainability and Energy Performance Committee met, an opportunity for different areas to present their initiatives, training courses and awareness events in the area of environmental care.

On the fourth day, the 3M team, led by Felipe Chinchón and Luciano Bisconti, explained about the importance of ensuring personal safety elements are used properly, while Valeria Hinding trained participants about Psychosocial Risks, an area that the company is focusing on.

The Workplace Health and Safety Week closed with a presentation by Jorge Bluro, the former President of COPIME and professor of the Occupational Health postgraduate program at the Engineering Faculty of the University of Buenos Aires, who gave a lecture on Safe Controls. This was followed by a presentation by Giannina Bellone and Mirita del Valle, from Reid Systems, who gave a talk entitled “Leading with safety”, a discussion of the risks linked to fatigue in workers and the importance of taking proper rest to avoid accidents.

At the projects

All Techint E&C projects held sessions to encourage people to reflect on related issues.

For instance, at the LTA-Ternium project in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a Daily Prevention Dialogue was held for the teams and Safety Technicians where they analyzed the main causes of accidents and how to avoid them, and a ‘flu and tetanus vaccination campaign was carried out, with vaccines being made available at the project's administrative offices.

At the Auca and Sushufindi fields in Ecuador, 900 attendees and 65 stakeholders attended an open day event, where employees, their families and people from neighboring communities were invited to learn about the project and join in some of the main actions designed to look after employees.

At the company’s SADDN and C20+ projects in Chile, employees also attended various talks and took part in awareness-raising activities. The Santiago offices hosted an active break for employees from all areas, featuring relaxation, stretching and muscle activation exercises to improve people’s posture and encourage them to move around in the office.

In Mexico City, 30 HSE leaders met on April 25 and 26 to attend a number of safety-related talks and activities, such as working groups to analyze the company’s Quality, Health, Safety and Environment indicators.

At the Dos Bocas Refinery project, also in Mexico, four courses were held on hand care, safety signage and wildlife relocation. They also had the opportunity to get vaccinated against influenza, COVID-19 and pneumonia, and receive medical check-ups.

In Argentina, awareness-raising talks were held at the projects for the Reversal of the Northern Gas Pipeline and Line 4 of the GPNK, focusing on the main safety risks at the worksite. At the DUPLICAR project, a practical activity was carried out to show how the perception of risk can vary between two people, and how these perceptions of risks can influence others.

“We work continuously, year after year, towards our goal of achieving zero deviations at our projects and operations. What we’re seeking to achieve is a preventive culture, to ensure that everyone can work safely and be healthy: Workplace Health and Safety Week is a reflection of that,” reflected Alejandro Sarubbi.