Ence’s biofactories in Pontevedra and Navia have established themselves in the first quarter of the year as benchmarks in safety at a European level within their sector. This has been confirmed by the European Pulp Industry Association (EPIS), which has determined that Ence’s factories are, among all those on the continent, the ones that have achieved the best safety rates in the first three months of 2021, based on the information reported by the different associated firms.
Ence has completed the first quarter of the year with zero accidents in its own personnel in all its work centers. This means, therefore, zero accidents per million hours worked, while the European industry average stands at 4.6 in the same period.
This safety result is reinforced by the fact that during the first quarter the maintenance shutdowns of both plants took place, operations that add complexity to the usual activity due to the greater volume of people in the biofactory and the development of the own maintenance work. Both stops, along with that of the Huelva power plant, were carried out in a totally safe way, prioritizing the health of the people involved and the prevention of Covid.
Prevention against the coronavirus has continued to be a priority for the company at the beginning of 2021, continuing with the strict application of protocols that have made it possible to minimize the risk of contagion at Ence’s facilities. Thus, a total of about 50,000 FFP2 masks have been distributed among own and contracted employees, and about 15,000 antigen tests have been carried out.
It should be noted that, in terms of security, Ence’s frequency rates are well below the Spanish average. In the case of cellulose, Ence’s frequency index is almost 5 times below the pulp and paper sector average, while the frequency index in the energy business is 6 times below the sector average industrial.
Ence’s commitment to people’s health and safety is one of the company’s operating principles. In fact, Ence views security as a fundamental tool to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization in general, as an integral element of the way they work.
In addition, the company not only aims to protect the health and safety of its employees, but of all the people who work for the company, including the contractors who provide services. Thus, security, understood and managed in this way, allows all the people who collaborate in Ence to develop in a safe environment, minimizing accidents and incidents, and also represents a factor of competitiveness for the company.
