2025 Group-wide health and safety focus yields positive early results

• Sustainability initiative
• 

12 Nov 2025

Sustainability goal: social

Throughout 2025, Bruks Siwertell Group is focusing on health and safety; a theme designed to encourage all personnel to take part in creating healthier and safer work environments. It connects directly to the Group’s ambition of setting the sustainability standard in the industries that it serves, while making a positive difference for people and communities.

Bruks Siwertell’s aim is to achieve zero workplace accidents. As part of this, the Incident & Accident (IA) system, and its accompanying app, was implemented in 2024 across all company sites. This tool is enabling easier access for teams to report incidents, accidents, and conduct thorough risk analyses. 

Bruks Siwertell is also looking to improve personnel satisfaction scores, recorded as an employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS). This is scaled from -100 to 100; Bruks Siwertell Group’s current score is 18 and it hopes to raise this to 30 by 2030.

By choosing health and safety as the Group-wide theme for 2025, Bruks Siwertell is also continuing its commitment to align its sustainability work with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); SDG 3 focuses on good health and wellbeing. 

Solution and results

Throughout 2025, all business units were encouraged to engage with the health and safety theme by carrying out activities, initiatives, and programs tailored to their local context. The goal was to raise safety awareness, exchange ideas, collaborate and build a stronger culture of health, safety and wellbeing across the Group.

To support all locations, Bruks Siwertell Group launched the Move Together fund, encouraging personnel to form groups and choose physical team-building activities, from bowling, team-based exercise groups and quiz walks to spinning classes. 

In Arbrå, Sweden, health profiles were completed, with at least half of the workforce taking up the opportunity, followed by numerous programs that offered everyday exercise initiatives, and a revitalized wellness and social committee. Two breakfast seminars were held for all personnel, featuring speakers from the company’s occupational health service who covered topics such as nutrition, health, and the work environment. 

To encourage physical activity and prevent injuries, training sessions at a local gym were organized, tailored to different experience levels, and an occupational health nurse has been available on-site once a month, offering people the opportunity to book individual appointments. 

Other campaigns include regular communications about the dedicated wellness hour, one hour per week available to all personnel. These wellness hours, seminars on nutrition and workplace health, and participation in the Blodomloppet race, where participants can run or walk five or 10km, added further momentum. The Move Together fund inspired a spinning class that people enjoyed so much they continued it even after the funding ended. Feedback from personnel about the health and safety focus year has been overwhelmingly positive.

Champions in Arbrå, Sweden: Malin Hagström and Jennie Lindh Olsson played a key role in driving the wellness committee, while Fredrik Norman tirelessly encouraged IA system reporting, making safety awareness part of everyday work. 

In West Salem, USA, work continued to reinforce a strong safety culture in the manufacturing environment, focusing on: clearly marked and obstacle-free walkways; reorganized traffic flows with a one-way 8km/h speed restriction; personal protective equipment (PPE) training; hearing tests; air-quality testing throughout the company; quarterly safety inspections; and wildfire and hot-weather training. 

A revamped safety team extended and encouraged participation, and developed youth leadership in the company, as well as fostering greater levels of teamwork.

Other health and safety awareness initiatives included near-miss safety seminars and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) training, which is carried out every two years. 

Champion in West Salem, USA: John Johnston consistently pushed the team to recognize issues and become proactive in solving them. 

In Bäckefors, Sweden and Vilnius, Lithuania, quarterly safety rounds have been introduced, along with creating a safety committee, appointing health and safety representatives, and carrying out risk analyses. ISO 45001 certification was also achieved in Bäckefors, now both units have this standard implemented. 

The certification is the internationally recognized standard for an Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) and has proved to be a very positive and valuable introduction, providing a framework to help reduce workplace risks, prevent injuries and ill-health, and improve overall workplace safety. 

Personnel also received CPR, fire awareness, and emergency training, and report greater awareness of safe practices and more involvement in decision-making.

Champions Bäckefors, Sweden and Vilnius, Lithuania: The management group and new Production Manager, Anders Lindh, was praised for driving progress and embedding safety as a management priority.

The unit in Bjuv, Sweden prioritized physical and mental wellbeing, with updated safety training, following up on IA reports, and a highly appreciated lecture on stress and sleep deprivation. The unit typically carries out annual health and safety initiatives, with personnel being a key part of the choice of topics and activity participation.

Personnel highlighted how this year’s focus had sparked open conversations about health challenges at work, and how increased awareness and the expectation for training was delivering positive results.

Champions in Bjuv, Sweden: A spirit of collective responsibility, embracing effective collaboration amongst all individuals, led to improvements in health and safety, shared learning and best practices.

In Atlanta, USA, everyday wellness has been promoted by redesigning and enabling greater access to its fitness reimbursement program to include step challenges, and making healthy habits more inclusive. Plans are underway to introduce CPR training early in 2026.

Field service personnel also continued rigorous safety training to meet US federal and state requirements.

In Hirtscheid, Germany, attention was on occupational safety within manufacturing areas and a first aid course was organized for personnel in October, complementing earlier workshops. Instruction manuals and machine documentation were updated and the safety footwear area was expanded. Accident prevention awareness training at external construction sites, and customer visits, was also a focus. 

To promote health and fitness, many individuals at the company jointly took part in a local running race in Bad Marienberg. 

“Personnel are more engaged, proactive, and empowered to make health and safety part of daily life, and I am especially delighted that the ‘champions’ across the Group, from wellness committee leaders to safety team members, have shown how individual dedication fuels collective impact,” says Anna Halling, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), Bruks Siwertell Group.

Results so far include a significant rise in reported risk observations, using the IA system, reflecting a culture of greater awareness. In Arbrå, the unit’s CatalystOne eNPS surveys show high personnel engagement, with a strong sense of community. Salem reported better attendance during hot weather thanks to proactive cooling stations, while in Bäckefors and Vilnius, ISO 45001 certification ensured more systematic safety management. 

Feedback across units highlighted appreciation for wellness activities and trainings, with many individuals eager to continue initiatives independently.

Monitoring and assessing sustainability milestones and achievements

Bruks Siwertell Group’s sustainability goals are assessed from an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) perspective, with each initiative falling into one or more of these categories. This is to clarify how different initiatives impact our overall sustainability work, and how their results can be used to maximum effect. It also contributes to our commitment to transparency. All aspects of our sustainability work are designed to be educational, so that we increase our knowledge and adjust our ambitions accordingly.