Our responsibility in the workplace

Learning and development 

In order to drive high performance and continuous development of all employees, the company’s group targets are deployed into team and personal targets for everyone. Bekaert’s performance management system enables the evaluation of teams and individuals as they relate to the set targets, as well as their way of working. In 2015 we started a program to innovate our performance management approach to further stimulate frequent performance and coaching dialogues and to increase the level of empowerment. This will further be implemented in the organization in the years to come. 

Bekaert attaches great importance to provide challenging career and personal development opportunities to its employees. Training programs not only include technical and function specific training, but also leadership modules that help our people develop and cooperate in a global business environment.

Employee related data

• On average, 27 hours of training per employee took place in 2015.
• Percentage of employees who received a performance review:

Safety as a prerequisite

The Bekaert safety policy is deployed through the Safety Tree model and monitored via the Bekaert Safety Evaluation System (BEKSES). In 2015, BEKSES audits (based on OHSAS 18001) were carried out on a global scale and action plans were defined. In newly acquired plants and plants recently added to the consolidation perimeter, special efforts were made to align local safety management and practices with the worldwide Bekaert approach.

Taking safety to the next level

In 2015 Bekaert started a Safety Excellence project, aimed at improving safety awareness and performance throughout the Group. The program applies to several levels of the organization: from the Bekaert Group Executive, the plant & first line managers, to the shop floor workers. In a first wave six pilot plants underwent an assessment and on-site interviews. Based on the results, a roadmap for implementation has been established. In the course of 2016 the program will be continued in other plants, and be rolled out as part of the Manufacturing Excellence program which also has a global implementation scope.

Investing in workplace ergonomics

Because we attach great importance to a healthy working environment, we continued to invest in automated handling equipment and other workplace ergonomics in 2015. A good example thereof is the newly designed automated handling equipment, that was first installed in our plants in Burgos (Spain) and Rogers (US). In the coming years innovation in workplace ergonomics will be further rolled out.

International Health and Safety Week

Bekaert has a long tradition of organizing an annual Health & Safety event worldwide. The central theme for this year’s edition was “Everyone committed to health & safety”. Bekaert plants worldwide were encouraged to share their best practices and learn from each other.

Over the course of the year, our plants worldwide have organized various local vitality initiatives such as healthy food campaigns, sports activities and mental health projects.

Safety related data

In 2015, 61% of all Bekaert employees are covered by the OHSAS 18001 standard.

Of the on average 27 hours of training per employee, 7 hours were safety-related.

Recordable incidents Bekaert Group

Repeatability Index = Number of lost time accidents (LTA) per million worked hours.



Severity Index = Number of lost days due to occupational accidents per thousand worked hours.

In 2015 both the repeatability and severity index increased compared to 2014. This was a result of footprint changes such as the acquisition/consolidation of entities where safety performance is subject to improvement as part of their integration process within the Bekaert Group, a trend we see as of mid-2015. 

Safety champions in consolidated plants 
(Number of years without recordable incidents)

	>= 7 years	>= 5 years	>= 2 years	>= 1 years
N° of plants	1	1	3	7