Environmental protection and occupational safety

Once a month, employees of EagleBurgmann Malaysia organize tandem bicycle tours with 15 VIPs – Visually Impaired Persons. Some of them are completely blind; others have partial vision but not nearly enough to be able to ride a bicycle unaided. The sighted riders are called Capt'n and are seated at front of the tandem. The VIPs sit behind them and are called Stokers – together they make sure they have enough "horsepower" to move forward. To ride a tandem safely and efficiently requires successful communication - after all, one needs to be able to take off, brake, stop or accelerate together. The people from MAB (Malaysian Association for the Blind) cannot ride a bicycle without support from others. In this way, the local bicycle community is able to give back something of value.

The “Centro Infantil Boldini” is one of the largest hospitals in Brazil and specialized on the treatment of young cancer patients. The project “Told Stories” made it possible for 30 children, aged six to ten, to illustrate their experiences and feelings with drawings, ideas and fragments. The project was accompanied by a professional story teller for children books and an art teacher. EagleBurgmann Brazil facilitated the production of the first edition of 2,000 copies. The result “Histórias que voam” – Flying Stories – is an unusual story, composed of the contributions of the children, illustrated on 16 pages.

Ergonomic, that is, injuries caused by computer work have become more numerous worldwide. Especially employees, whose daily routine involves working at laptops, have muscle tension and signs of fatigue. In a comprehensive package of actions for improvement have been communicated and implemented (e.g. acquiring of ergonomic workplaces, instructions on working correctly with a laptop, etc.). Within a short time, health impairments have been reduced to a minimum. Increased productivity, working morale and satisfaction are additional positive effects..

EagleBurgmann Germany donated a generous amount to a children and youth welfare establishment in Wolfratshausen, to support underage, unaccompanied refugees. Many of the young people, aged between 11 and 19, have gone through a dramatic flight and are traumatized by what they experienced in their home countries. The donation will be used for everyday items, such as bicycles, clothing, shoes, German language courses, etc.

Since 2014 EagleBurgmann USA has been supporting an elementary school in Houston, TX. 75 % of the roughly 1,000 students are considered economically disadvantaged according to state and federal guidelines. The necessary resources to improve the quality of education at the school are provided. To date, EagleBurgmann employees are actively involved in mentoring programs, help support development programs or assist with science demonstrations.

Many Malaysians have poor cholesterol levels due to their diets, which are traditionally monotonous and often unhealthy. This was confirmed by routine check-ups of EagleBurgmann personnel in Malaysia. To encourage employees towards a healthier lifestyle, EagleBurgmann Malaysia offers a free selection of seasonal fruit and vegetables which changes every month. Employees can help themselves at any time. It started with apples, followed by carrots, pineapples, and lychees. The campaign has been really well received: people enthusiastically try even fruit and vegetable varieties they have never encountered before, and are doing something for their health.

Motorcyclists are involved in 88% of all traffic accidents in Indonesia. Many of these accidents are fatal - usually due to head injuries. Over 70% of all EagleBurgmann employees regularly ride a motorcycle to work due to the poor public transport infrastructure. There are now enough helmets on loan at the main entrance of the company to ensure that no one has to ride a motorcycle again without one.

To reduce accidents at work in production units, EagleBurgmann Italia has implemented a multi-stage process that incorporates a suggestion scheme along with series of meetings and seminars for employees and managers. The aim is to further raise the awareness of all personnel on the topics of quality, health, safety, and the environment. The result of all these measures is a significant drop in accidents at work in production. The production location has been accident-free for more than 1800 days.

The topic of an aging workforce gains increasing importance in many countries – including EagleBurgmann BT in Italy. To sensitize the employees, a project concerning proper nutrition and the importance of sport and exercise was started in 2013. During regular trainings and annual medical check-ups, basic knowledge about the right diet and possible improvements of one’s eating behavior were taught. The issue of sport and exercise was approached by e.g. offering a Nordic Walking seminar. First successes could already be registered – employees now pay more attention to drinking enough on a day to day basis.

During the production process of mechanical seals, certain components have to be emeried and polished. So far, this was a manual procedure, where an employee worked at open lathe and grinding machines. In a project of EagleBurgmann Germany the emery polishing by hand was almost completely eliminated and so the risk of injuries reduced. An interdisciplinary team developed and implemented the solution. Now, only in exceptional cases, a trained and regularly instructed employee may perform polishing with appropriate tools. Through the analysis and implementation of this approach it was possible to reduce manual polishing up to 85 %. In addition, the awareness regarding the danger of accidents was increased. In the meantime, the solution was applied within various production sectors of the EagleBurgmann group.