Success for Ohly in ABFI HSE competition

The annual ABFI Safety Award honours projects and initiatives related to workplace safety.

The safety of our employees has always been of paramount importance to us. The fact that two Ohly projects were able to win against proposals from the entire ABFI Group this year shows us that we are on the right track with our joint commitment.

First, the entire Ohly Hamburg team was awarded a special prize for the best COVID Pandemic Management. A large number of precautions were taken to minimize the risk of infection from coronavirus in the workplace. The measures taken go far beyond what is required by law and are testament to the crisis teams proactive management. Face masks and disinfectant for both business and personal use were provided and desks were separated by Plexiglas walls with office containers set up to reduce contact in the offices. In addition, voluntary antibody testing was offered to employees.

As head of the COVID crisis management team, Rolf Bartling did an outstanding job. Therefore, on behalf of the entire team, he had the honour to choose a charity to donate the award money to. Rolf chose the Alimaus cold weather bus which offers homeless people in the entire Hamburg area a ride to an emergency winter shelter. If this is not desired, the homeless are offered sleeping bags, blankets and warm clothing to get through the winter. In addition, there is also the possibility to receive urgent medical care.

Furthermore, the project "Speed - Karlchen shakes Ohly" by Nils Göttsche received an award in the Safety Innovations category. The robot "Karlchen" has been in use for several months in the extracts department and takes care of the filling and palletizing of the buckets. Manual work has been automated, which significantly reduces the risk of accidents and injuries.

As project manager, Nils was also allowed to choose a charitable cause for a donation. He chose the Flaschenkinder e.V. which is an organization that cares for the children of alcoholic parents. In a child-friendly way, the volunteers explain to the children what is happening to their parents and how to better deal with their parents' illness.
The associations main focus is on education, because in most cases, the children do not receive sufficient support from their parents. The association supports with school materials, tutoring and much more so that these children have the same chances as everyone else.

Congratulations to all involved and many thanks for the continued commitment towards our Health and Safety initiatives!