Over a period of four years, absenteeism due to illness fell by 0.8% to 5.7%, and the number of industrial accidents has almost halved over the last 10 years.

Volkswagen AG

Branch: Automobile Industry

No. of employees: 104,000

Products/Services: Cars

Locations: 6 plants in Germany, headquarters in Wolfsburg

At Volkswagen AG, the Group Management Board and central works council have set out guidelines on occupational health and safety and health promotion which outline minimum standards world-wide. Guidelines on health management also apply to all domestic factories. Every year, about DM 260 is invested per employee in occupational health and safety and health promotion.

Health management at VW is controlled and co-ordinated by the health department, the occupational health and safety committees of the individual plants and the "health working groups," if available. The health department, occupational safety department, works council, and company health insurance fund are also represented in these working groups. Discussions on occupational health and safety are held every year.

A comprehensive company health reporting system serves as the basis for planning. The results of risk analyses, occupational medical check-ups, staff surveys, as well as analyses of absenteeism due to illness and incapacity to work are taken into account.

At VW the employees participate in many health related activities such as health groups, ideas management, special workshops, surveys and the "tryout" method.

The company has created a wide variety of programmes to promote health-conscious behaviour among the employees, such as back and posture courses, lifting/carrying, fitness training courses, and relaxation courses. A works agreement on co-operative behaviour in the workplace clearly indicates that the company actively combats bullying, sexual harassment, and racism.

These extensive measures are having an impact and are paying dividends: Physical stress in the workplace has been substantially reduced, through, for example, the elimination of overhead work. Between 1991 and 1998 the health rate rose from 91.6% to 96% while the number of industrial accidents fell from 13.7% to 10.7% per one million hours worked. Targeted occupational health and safety measures have provided financial benefits because certain medical check-ups are no longer necessary. At Wolfsburg works, for example, this has resulted in significant savings. At another factory the number of days lost due to contact dermatitis was reduced by about 1,000 days with a prevention programme called "Skin". As a result of the introduction of therapeutic measures for 25 alcoholic employees, the number of sick days in this group fell within a year from 1420 to only 351 per year.