Corporate Social Responsibility report - Bawag

Employees
5.4. Occupational Health and Safety
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Occupational health and safety committees are set up at all BAWAG P.S.K. workplaces with more than
250 employees. Two meetings are to be held per year at three BAWAG P.S.K. sites: Buchengasse/
Quellenstraße, Georg-Coch-Platz and Seitzergasse/Tuchlauben. The meetings are led by the chairman of the
occupational health and safety committees. The company physicians, the safety specialists, the chairman of
the central works council and the health and safety officers for the Bank’s Viennese sites are invited to these
meetings. There are currently twenty-three health and safety officers assigned to the Bank’s headquarters and
five to the branches in Vienna. BAWAG P.S.K.’s health and safety officers were nominated in cooperation with
the works council.
The responsibilities of these officers include:
4 representing employee interests vis-à-vis the employer, the responsible authorities and other bodies in
matters of health and safety (in coordination with the works council)
4 providing information, advice and assistance to employees and employee representative bodies in all areas
of health and safety.
The health and safety committees at BAWAG P.S.K. not only handle the issues at the three main sites, but
also problems that arise in the branches and in the provinces. The three occupational health and safety
committees conducted one of the annual meetings as a joint meeting in 2008. The health and safety officers
who were invited to the committee meetings represent the employees in Vienna. The number of active BAWAG
P.S.K. employees in Vienna was roughly 3,000 in 2008. This means that roughly 73 per cent of the Bank’s
entire staff was represented by the health and safety officers at the occupational health and safety meeting in
2008. Because the chairman of the central works council was also invited to the meeting, it can be assumed
that all employees were represented.
No occupational safety and health committee has yet been formed at easybank. The law only requires that
such a committee be formed when there are 250 employees (office workplaces) or more at a site. Annual fire
drills are conducted at all central buildings to increase the level of safety for the employees there. A sufficient
number of Bank employees has been trained in first aid, and refresher courses are offered at regular intervals.
In addition to the legally required occupational health and safety services, the Bank offers company physician
services amounting to roughly 800 hours a year. These company physicians offer health check-ups and other
medical services for employees in the main offices and at the Viennese branches.
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