A comparison of ideas on accident prevention among companies and institutions. In attendance, the Council Member for Urban Planning of the City of Novara and the President of the Novara Industrial Association
At centre stage, EHS managers from renowned Italian and international members of the Large Organization Prevention Club, an AIAS associate.
An exchange of experiences on safety between major Italian and international industrial enterprises headquartered in Italy. On June 14, 2018, Radici Chimica SpA in Novara hosted a meeting of top managers from some of the best known companies with operations in Italy, members of the Large Organization Prevention Club [Club della Prevenzione nelle Grandi Organizzazioni (CPGO)], founded as part of the Italian Professional Association for Environment and Safety [Associazione Professionale Italiana Ambiente e Sicurezza (AIAS)].
It was a full day of presentations and speeches from, among others, representatives of public institutions, such as the Council Member for Urban Planning of the City of Novara, Federico Perugini, and the president of the Novara Industrial Association, Fabio Ravanelli. Moreover, the participants had the opportunity to visit the Radici Chimica plant and experience management safety procedures “in the field” at this RadiciGroup company, which operates according a Safety Management System in compliance with Law Decree [D.Lgs.]105/2015. Radici Chimica, a strategic RadiciGroup company, has over 300 employees and is engaged in the production of chemical intermediates and PA 6.6 polymers, which are used as raw materials for the production of numerous types of plastics and synthetic fibres.
In the past months, Radici Chimica was honoured with the “Gold Excellence Award” by Certiquality, in recognition of the company’s obtaining the following certifications: Environmental Management System – ISO 14001:2015, Quality Management System ISO 9001:2015, Health & Safety Management System OHSAS 18001 and Energy Management System ISO 50001 (aimed at the containment and progressive reduction of energy consumption).
The meeting was opened by Angelo Radici, president of RadiciGroup , who, during the 1980s, experienced first hand, together with his father, Gianni, the start-up of the plant, formerly a Montedison production site: “We have always put special emphasis on products, processes and people. For us, safety has always come first: full safety for people, the environment and the surrounding community is an essential condition for working as well as possible and for ensuring business prosperity. For this reason, we have set up an organization-wide safety programme called RadiciGroup for Safety, with the objective of developing a true corporate culture of accident prevention.”
In 2017 alone, more the 400 employees at the Italian Group sites participated in safety training courses for a total of about 8,800 hours of classroom activities and fieldwork. Managers and supervisors were involved in the corporate safety programme, with the goal of cascading the training to all the RadiciGroup employees, as well as to outside companies and people who, for a variety of reasons, spend time at RadiciGroup sites.
Speaking for the Club della Prevenzione nelle Grandi Organizzazioni (CGPO) was President Simone Cencetti (who is also the head of EHS EMEA Manufacturing of FCA Italy): ”Through our Club we try to team up and integrate people and companies that have a lot of objectives in common and manage complex systems. I am convinced that by sharing experiences it is possible to make our work more effective and improve the environment in which we work. This day is going to strengthen our knowledge of safety matters, and all of us will go back to our companies and institutions enriched and more aware.”
CGPO is a network that brings together the EHS (Environment, Health and Safety) managers of large Italian and international public and private organizations with their headquarters in Italy. Today’s meeting at Radici Chimica saw the participation of numerous companies engaged in a variety of different businesses: Akzo, Granarolo, Salini-Impregilo, Galbusera, Ariston Thermo Group, Siad, Bracco and many others.
The day ended with closing speeches by Maurizio Radici, RadiciGroup shareholder and COO of Radici Chimica SpA, and Pio Gazzini, managing director of the Novara plant. The two managers expressed their satisfaction with the initiative and reminded the participants that Radici Chimica is open to whomever wants to learn how polymers and other chemical products are made and ready to share its know-how in a transparent manner with the community, which RadiciGroup is proud to be part of.
With approximately 3,000 employees, sales revenue of EUR 946 million in 2016 and a network of production and sales sites located throughout Europe, North America, South America and Asia, RadiciGroup is one of the world’s leading producers of a wide range of chemical intermediates, polyamide polymers, engineering plastics, synthetic fibres and nonwovens.