Building for what’s next starts with safety today

At wienerberger, health and safety is not just about policies, audits or time spent in training rooms, it’s about the choices we make and the standards we uphold on every site, every single day. On World Health & Safety Day, we pause to reflect on our shared commitment to zero harm, and on the people who bring that commitment to life by looking out for one another and ensuring everyone goes home safe and well. 

How far we’ve come

Mel, who has been with the business for almost five years, reflects on the progress the department has seen over the past couple of years.

“Before I started, a lot of the training provided was ‘death by PowerPoint,’ but by identifying and engaging the right training providers, as well as advancing the internal training programmes, we are now developing training programmes that are more interactive and work for us. As a department, we are particularly proud of the ‘Working Safely with wienerberger’ training package, which I developed alongside Karen Springett, Head of Health & Safety UK & Ireland, and which is aimed at providing all colleagues within the business with a full‑day in-person Health & Safety awareness training session. 

While we are here to manufacture and sell products to our respective markets, we also have to uphold high standards of health and safety to safeguard our people. Health and safety at work is not just a tick‑box exercise for me; it is everything, we have to live and breathe it, lead by example, be accountable, and be prepared as individuals and as a business to prevent and mitigate hazards.” 

How we manage inevitable workplace hazards

When asked about the most common workplace hazards, and the key approaches wienerberger takes to reduce these risks, while also ensuring colleagues understand and follow health and safety procedures, Mel comments.

“Due to the nature of manufacturing environments, occupational hazards are always a risk and as a business, we identify and manage them early on before they become a health and safety issue. Vehicle movement around the sites (mobile plant, cars or HGVs), operator interventions, dust, and noise are our key focus areas for 2026, which are relevant to most of our operations.

 The safest operations are the ones where the operator doesn’t have to interact with the process at all, they can stay out of the guarded areas and let the machinery do its thing. Also, we are working hard to reduce the amount of dust in the working environment by investment in extraction systems, refuge cabins for operators, process modifications and, as our last line of defence, PPE. 

 We take a holistic approach to health, inclusive of prostate checking for those potentially vulnerable, hormone testing for those who may be perimenopausal, and even offer checks for food intolerances at a vastly reduced cost to the employee and their family. As with everything, the key to managing these different hazards and risk is communication and training.”

Speaking up about safety at work

“We actively encourage everyone to get involved, find their voice; to raise their concerns without fear of retribution, we need to learn from our experiences and improve for the future. We have the traditional methods available for everyone to raise concerns. We have a Health & Safety portal with a mobile app functionality which allows those with access to record issues as they happen. Also, there is always someone available to listen and take action whether that is the H&S team, or others from the site. We also encourage our visitors and contractors to report their findings to their site contact as they are a fresh pair of eyes to see things that we may have slightly missed. In addition, we have our ‘See It, Sort It, Report It’ campaign, where the best concern raised per site wins a voucher and is entered for the opportunity to win an extra day’s holiday.”

Useful health and safety tips at work

When asked for a go‑to health and safety tip for people working both in the office and on site, Mel comments:

“Never put yourself or others in a position of harm! If something doesn’t feel right, often it’s not right. Take a minute or five, stop, re‑assess, ask yourself has something been missed, has something changed, am I and those I am working with safe to go ahead? If the answer is ‘No’ or even ‘I’m not sure’, then escalate it and get help; you are never on your own.”

Building for what’s next

“We are constantly monitoring not only what is happening within the company today, but also what is going on in the wider corporate world, so that we can plan as best we can for tomorrow. We are embracing new technologies, searching for better ways of working that improve safety standards, looking at health not just for the here and now but the implications on the way we work now and for our future. We want to be leaders in our field and constantly strive for areas where we can improve.” — Mel Hoyle, Senior Health & Safety Business Partner at wienerberger UK & Ireland.

As we mark this World Health & Safety Day, we are reminded of our commitment to improving health and safety, whether through local and global frameworks, shared learning or practical, human approaches, because building for what’s next starts with keeping our people safe today.

Happy World Health & Safety Day, from all of us at wienerberger UK & Ireland.