In addition to the creation and distribution of wealth, the Impregilo Group is pledged to building a stable and transparent relationship with its internal and external stakeholders based on the shared values, know-how and corporate culture that have made the Group a reliable partner for employees, clients, co-contractors, institutions and communities throughout the world.
In line with its Code of Conduct and its Organisational, management and control model, Impregilo adopts best practices for:
- human resources management,
- industrial relations,
- employees’ health and safety,
- training,
- communications,
- dialogue with the public administration,
- relations with local communities,
- the protection of human rights.
Human resources
The Impregilo Group considers its human resources a strategic factor of fundamental importance in its development, as they contribute significantly to the achievement of corporate objectives.
In order to manage the overall process of recruitment, management and development of personnel in an organised and structured manner, the Group has adopted specific guidelines for Human Resource Management developed centrally and adapted locally within the individual group members. Equal opportunities, non-discrimination, physical and moral integrity, fairness, honesty and professional development are the principles that guide the corporate approach in the management of employees.
In the processes of recruitment and selection of resources, Impregilo aims to attract and integrate into its organisation the best candidates and individuals with the highest professional standards, in order to compete successfully in the market. For this reason, collaborations have been initiated with leading Italian and overseas universities - including the Politecnico of Milan - as well as with other organisations in the world of vocational training.
The process of recruiting personnel begins with the screening of CVs received, and continues with an initial aptitude interview by the Human Resources Department. For suitable candidates, the process continues with a professional interview conducted by the manager of the recruiting unit, while for managers there is a final interview by a Level 1 Director.
Each employee (managerial or supervisory) is given the opportunity to build a career path. Appraisal of employees, although not formally structured, is performed on the skills acquired: managerial, interpersonal and achievement of objectives. The appraisal is generally carried out every 18/24 months, to assess career advancement and roles to be assigned.
Industrial relations
Impregilo’s relations with the trade unions are based on loyal and correct conduct.
Although it works in different contexts (Impregilo is active in 30 countries with different standards and traditions), this approach has enabled it to resolve the sometimes complicated problems of the sectors in which it operates constructively.
Accordingly, Impregilo has been able to discuss and resolve issues that often lead to conflict in other sectors, using traditional industrial relations tools.
These negotiations take place using the “advance bargaining” methods and providing for a system of industrial relations split among different levels (national, regional or provincial and “site”) to give the right emphasis and deploy the right persons to the various issues and problems to be discussed:
- organisation of work at the building sites to limit difficulties to circulation and the population for execution of the works;
- a responsible and consistent vision of the labour market, especially in the areas where the works take place, facilitating, where possible, access or the return to employment of first-time job seekers and unemployed persons.
Employee health and safety
Employee health and safety is an essential part of Impregilo’s mission. The group carries out many different types of work at its sites involving different risks for the employees involved. Impregilo is strongly committed to providing its employees with ongoing training about their duties, making them aware of the risks they may face. Impregilo has put in place and puts in place all the human and technical resources necessary to meet the objectives set in its QAS policy and in accordance with BS OHSAS 18001.
Thanks to its adoption of a BS OHSAS 18001 certified health and safety management system, Impregilo has achieved important milestones, such as:
- development of a safety culture;
- reduction of work-related accidents;
- prevention of occupational illnesses;
- decrease in insurance costs;
- decrease in administrative and criminal sanctions.
Moreover, integration of the health and safety management system with the other rules for quality (ISO 9001) and the environment (ISO 14001) has meant that Impregilo can continue its main goal of construction with quality and respectful of the environment and its employees’ health and safety.
Impregilo complies with the ruling regulations in each country in which it operates and guarantees high standards of health and security in the workplace. All internal departments are required to contribute to ensuring the correct implementation of the management system, pursuant to the relevant regulations and the organisational, management and control model as per Legislative decree no. 231/2001.
Operational control of the management system is implemented through a specific procedure, which requires that, at each Group office and site, safety risks and emergencies are properly identified and managed, preventive and protective measures are defined, responsible corporate functions are identified. The basic documentation required to operate the system is as follows:
- Risk assessment documents;
- Operational Safety Plans (OSP);
- Emergency and evacuation plans;
- Fire prevention and control plans;
- First aid plans.
To ensure the coherence, uniformity and rigour of the documentation prepared by the individual sites, the Group has established guidelines and principles to be adopted in the preparation of the OSP, which must take into account the characteristics of the work, the specific processes, particular performance risks, the contractual specifications and local regulations.
The head office Quality, Environment and Safety Unit carries out periodic audits on specific safety procedures used at Group sites and evaluates the application of corporate rules concerning health and safety in the workplace.
Safety numbers
With regard to the occurrence of accidents, over the years the Group has gradually improved its performance, demonstrating the effectiveness of the management systems adopted. Over the 5-year period 2008-2012, the Accident Rate - which measures the number of accidents occurring for every 100 employees - has shown an overall decrease of 69%. In particular, in 2012 the rate was 1.12, a decrease of 22% compared with 2011.
In 2012, the Severity Rate - which measures the number of days of absence due to accidents per 100 employees - was 34.66, a decrease of 21% compared with 2011 and 74% compared with 2008.
On the subject of health and safety, the Group does not distinguish between direct employees and the employees of subcontractors, requiring all personnel working on their particular sites to comply with the same standards. Regarding its subcontractors, in particular, the Group carries out constant monitoring to verify working conditions, accident prevention performance and compliance with the procedures defined by the Group. Even in contracts in which Impregilo is not leading the consortium, the Group - in agreement with the other partners - attempts to disseminate its values and established practices to reduce the risks to workers and increase the safety of all the consortium personnel.
In all contracts located away from towns there is at least one field hospital and all sites (including those in urban locations) have a pharmacy giving access to medicines required in an emergency and those required for the treatment of chronic illnesses from which workers may suffer.
Training
Development of expertise and knowledge is fundamental to foster Impregilo’s human resources. Design, construction, management and project management skills lie at the heart of Impregilo’s success as a global leader in its market segments: construction, engineering & plant construction and concessions. Its strong international vocation requires concentrated development of skills which are honed constantly to be effective in diverse contexts and cultures. Accordingly, Impregilo tailors its training programmes considering common factors and local requirements.
Overall, in 2013 more than 560 thousand hours of training were delivered to Group personnel, equivalent to about 31 hours per head on average.
Specifically:
- it continued its large-scale training programme, commenced in 2008, about occupational health and safety, especially with regard to the new aspects introduced by the “Consolidated act about health and safety in the workplace” (Legislative decree no. 81/2008), aimed at management and other contract positions involved in implementing the safety and risk prevention management systems;
- a new training programme for managers and junior managers concerning Legislative Decree no. 231/2001 was rolled out, covering the administrative liability of entities and the “Organisational, management and control model”, adopted pursuant to the decree, in the light of the recent introduction of new types of crime;
- continuity was given to training programmes related to other issues such as specialist activities (use of machinery, plant, special working methods, use of software, etc.), administrative training, the Quality, Environment and Safety system (QES), training in the Code of Ethics and the Organisational, Management and Control Model, foreign languages.
Communications
Impregilo has a well-developed internal communications system, designed to assist the acquisition and exchange of information about aspects and key issues to perform various activities and promote a sense of belonging. Communications with employees and between the various departments take place through:
- corporate documentation (budgetary, organisational, operational circulars and other similar documents, dissemination to all personnel of press releases issued by the Company, Sustainability Report, corporate profile);
- website and intranet portal;
- regular formal meetings and informal meetings with personnel;
- information conveyed in accordance with the agreements with union representatives;
- electronic and traditional means of communication.
In particular, the intranet portal "The Bridge" enables all Impregilo personnel, both office and site, to access documentation relating to the corporate organisation, the integrated QA system (manual, procedures, operating instructions, etc.), operating and specialist aspects of the various internal departments, and legislative references for company management.
Dialogue with the public administration
Construction of large-scale works, infrastructure and plants all over the world entails ongoing dialogue with the public administrations of many countries at local and national level, as well as with various international organisations.
Institutional relations are governed by the laws in place in the individual countries, the rules set out in the Organisational, management and control model, which evaluates all the key requirements to operate in full compliance with the law, best practices invoked by the Code of Ethics and dialogue.
With respect to relations with the public administrations and the guidance, assessment and control bodies, Impregilo pays great attention to the regulations and conduct for anti- corruption, environment protection, health and safety, employment and involvement of local players.
As per the above Model, relations with the public stakeholders are always based on full compliance with the principles of consistency, transparency and correctness. Impregilo refuses practices designed to influence the outcome of authorisation procedures, checks and inspections. This refusal is hinged on the group’s obligation to make clear who is responsible, ensure the traceability of decisions and actions and by the penalty system. With specific respect to environmental issues and health and safety, Impregilo is committed to applying its QAS system everywhere and to integrating its principles with any local requirements necessary. It is accountable for its actions to monitor the effects of its activities as agreed with the authorities.
Relations with local communities
In performing its activities, the Impregilo Group pays particular attention to the needs and legitimate expectations of stakeholders in the territories affected by the projects. For us, relationships with communities play a key role in our activities and are promoted with maximum commitment at all levels of the organisation. The principles that guide these activities are respect for local cultures, fairness and transparency in dealing with all stakeholders.
The Group takes account of the needs of populations affected by the sites in all phases of infrastructure construction: from the environmental impact studies prior to construction through the use of the best available technologies and the voluntary performance of works to offset or mitigate our activities.
Impregilo, in agreement with the client, implements communication policies in the local area designed to inform people about the project, its progress and working methods, with a view to initiating mutual processes involving the local populations.
Every construction site is contractually required to set up channels of communication with external stakeholders, both physical (offices located at the site entrance and/or in the closest population centres) and virtual (dedicated telephone lines, web-based systems). These channels allow the Group to be in direct and constant contact with local populations, to provide them with information on the activities being carried out and to receive any complaints or information. Requests received are reviewed by the contract management and processed using specific procedures.
Our sites interact with local communities at all levels, for example making improvements to the existing road infrastructure, constructing new roads to separate heavy vehicles from ordinary traffic, providing access to our clinics (on construction sites located in rural areas) for people needing urgent care and participating in social initiatives that benefit the community. In addition, the Group will support local communities in the event of natural disasters, providing basic necessities to the affected populations and supporting the local authorities, where required, in the restoration of damaged infrastructure.
Finally, the efforts of Impregilo aimed at improving the quality of life in the territories in which it operates are focused on the activities of restoring the natural conditions of the areas affected by the sites, at the end of the projects. Environment protection activities and the related communications are designed to promulgate this sense of social responsibility and commitment to ensure sustainable development.
The protection of human rights
The Group is particularly attentive to the issue of respect for human rights. In fact, Impregilo is aware that, in some geographical areas in which it operates, the risk of human rights violations can not be totally excluded. For this reason, in compliance with the Code of Ethics, the Group has adopted appropriate guidelines aimed at promoting respect for and protection of the human rights of all workers, strictly prohibiting any form of discrimination.
For further protection of its employees, the Impregilo Group has signed an agreement with the Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) - the international union for workers in the construction, building, wood, forestry and allied industries, present in 125 countries around the world - providing for the application of the following principles:
- work as a free choice;
- absence of discrimination in the workplace;
- absence of child labour;
- respect for freedom of association and collective bargaining;
- sufficient remuneration;
- working hours which are not excessive;
- decent working conditions;
- specialised training;
- guarantee of adequate welfare, particularly with regard to health and accommodation;
- adherence to labour standards and compliance with the main international codes of conduct, such as the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" (1948), the "Declaration of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Declaration on the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work" (1998) , the ILO "Tripartite Declaration of Principles Concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy" (2000) and the OECD "Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises" (2000).
In the reporting period there were no cases of infringement by the Group of the rights of workers or local communities.