Case study: How Compal promotes occupational health and safety
As a leading global manufacturer of notebook PCs, smart devices, data center equipment and LCD products, handling the production of notebook computers, monitors and televisions for a variety of clients around the globe, providing employees with a work environment where they can work free of safety concerns is a top priority for Compal.
This case study is based on the 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Report by Compal published on the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Disclosure Database that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate what CSR/ sustainability reporting done responsibly means. Essentially, it means: a) identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment, economy and society, and b) measuring, managing and changing.
Abstract
Abstract
Providing its 55,269 employees, located throughout Taiwan, China and Brazil, with a safe and healthy workplace is highly important for Compal Tweet This!. In order to promote occupational health and safety Compal took action to:
- promote workplace safety
- identify hazards in the work environment
- provide emergency response training for employees
- promote employee health and wellness
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With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) Compal has identified;
- How Compal proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by Compal to promote occupational health and safety
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What are the material issues the company has identified?
In its 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Report Compal identified a range of material issues, such as economic performance, customer privacy, compliance, labor-management relations, products & services. Among these, promoting occupational health and safety stands out as a key material issue for Compal.
Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:
Stakeholders must be consulted in the process s of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.
Key stakeholder groups Compal engages with:
| Stakeholder Group | Method of engagement |
| Employees
| · Labor-management communication channels · Internal publications · Welfare Committee · Intranet · Education and training |
| Customers
| · Conferences · Customer audits · Customers’ supplier conferences |
| Shareholders | · Shareholder meetings · Shareholder hotline/mailbox · Investor seminar · Market Observation Post System |
| Suppliers
| · Conferences · Supplier audit · Supplier conferences · Supplier system |
| Governments
| · Correspondence · Participation in government projects · Participation in regulatory seminars/conferences · Actual visits |
| Non-profit organizations | · Participate in charity events · On-site visits · Phone contact |
| Media | · Press release · Press conference |
| Community | · Participation in community activities · Telephone |
How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues
To identify and prioritize material issues based on stakeholders’ concerns, Compal carried out discussions with each stakeholder group.
What actions were taken by Compal to promote occupational health and safety?
In its 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Report Compal reports that it took the following actions for promoting occupational health and safety:
- Promoting workplace safety
- Compal requires all employees to wear staff IDs inside plants. Additionally, an access card system at every entrance and exit controls personnel’s access. For clients, suppliers and other visitors a security system is utilized to record the time of visit and number of visitors, regulating the areas and time open to visitors. Moreover, Compal’s security personnel work in shifts 24 hours a day to control entry of personnel and objects, conduct safety inspections day and night inside and outside plants, monitor the presence of visitors and overtime workers, check incoming/outgoing vehicles and perform traffic control.
- Identifying hazards in the work environment
- Every Compal plant is staffed with a unit responsible for carrying out inspections and identifying hazards in the work environment. These inspections include, among others, traffic safety, power safety and security measures and drinking water, smoke detector, lighting protection and fire safety equipment tests. In addition, the Smart Devices Business Group tests office lighting, CO2 concentration, electromagnetic absorbency rate and lab organic solvent concentration, twice a year.
- Providing emergency response training for employees
- Once a year, Compal employees attend a training course on disaster prevention. Employees are required to complete the course, which provides information on how to deal with situations such as fire, storm, flood and earthquake. Compal also organizes fire drills, which are carried out yearly at all plants worldwide.
- Promoting employee health and wellness
- Compal offers red meat-free menus on the first working day of each month, to address employees’ dietary needs. Moreover, foods served in the cafeteria are specially designed by nutritionists every week, to control calorie intake and ensure employees’ healthy diet. Additionally, Compal’s Fitness and Recreation Center enables employees to exercise after work, relieve physical and mental stress built up at work and meet other employees who share the same interests.
Which GRI indicators/Standards have been addressed?
The GRI indicator addressed in this case is: G4-LA6: Type of injury and rates of injury, occupational diseases, lost days, and absenteeism, and total number of work-related fatalities, by region and by gender and the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 403-2 Types of injury and rates of injury, occupational diseases, lost days, and absenteeism, and number of work-related fatalities
78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards
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References:
1) This case study is based on published information by Compal, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:
http://database.globalreporting.org/
2) http://www.fbrh.co.uk/en/global-reporting-initiative-gri-g4-guidelines-download-page
3) https://g4.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx
4) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
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