Employee safety

This concerns the safety of all staff working at Van Loon Group sites. This includes our own permanent staff, temporary workers and staff from external companies working at our sites. Workers employed within our value chain (upstream or downstream) fall outside the scope of this policy.

The aim of our safety policy is to ensure a safe working environment for all our employees. Management supports this and encourages an open and transparent culture in which employees can report incidents, confident that these will be handled with care and integrity. Van Loon Group provides the appropriate tools to make reporting unsafe situations accessible and thus prevent accidents. Everyone who starts work in the morning must be able to return home safely at the end of the day in the same condition. The basis of our Health and Safety Policy is the Risk Assessment. We ensure that this remains up to date and that any deviations are dealt with promptly to minimise (social) health and safety risks as much as possible.

• ESRS S1 – In-house staff
• OESO-guidelines
• UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
• Declaration of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)

Safety is our top priority in everything we do. We work safely or we don’t work at all.

SHE-Manager

In 2025, we took further steps as part of the Road to Zero Harm safety programme (2024–2027). Thanks to this programme, the number of accidents resulting in lost-time injuries has fallen by 33%. The focus was on following up on reports, updating risk assessments, strengthening the safety culture and continuously improving the safety system.

The willingness to report incidents continued to rise. The number of reports of unsafe situations increased by 30% to 1,606. This increase enabled us to identify risks earlier and take preventive measures. Incidents were investigated using the 5 Whys method, and training for SHE staff and managers has been expanded. The main causes related to internal transport, cuts and falls. Targeted measures were taken to address these, including additional training, physical adjustments to traffic flows, mandatory cut protection and a greater focus on safe behaviour on walking routes.

By 2025, RI&Es had been carried out and updated at several sites. The findings were systematically discussed at health and safety meetings and translated into specific action points. Particular attention was paid to physical strain, ATEX, fire safety and safe office workstations.

We have begun to strengthen our Safety & Quality culture. Site teams have been trained in safety and quality observations, and managers regularly conduct Safety & Quality walks, focusing on exemplary behaviour, dialogue and learning. This marks an important step towards a proactive safety and food safety culture.

Internal audits, the introduction of a Safety Dashboard and the implementation of a single standardised work permit have further professionalised safety management. In addition, a pilot project was carried out using LOTOTO. In 2025, €640,000 was invested in safer machinery and €110,000 in ergonomic improvements.

In 2026, we will take further steps in the implementation of our SHE policy and the Road to Zero Harm programme. The focus will shift from development and implementation to consolidation, embedding and demonstrable impact. Safety, health and the environment will be strengthened across the board through organisational culture, risk management, management systems and compliance.

In 2026, risk assessments will be further refined and harmonised. The focus will be on:
•  biological agents
•  explosion safety (ATEX)
•  hazardous substances
•  psychosocial workload (PSA) 
•  machine safety and line assessments

For each site, the top three risks will be explicitly identified and linked to targeted improvement programmes. This allows us to make risks tangible and strengthen ownership at site level. In addition, periodic medical examinations will be carried out to support sustainable employability.

In the coming years, there will be a strong focus on leadership and setting a good example. Team leaders will receive training in safety leadership, feedback and influencing behaviour. The Safety & Quality Leadership programme will be rolled out further, and Safety & Quality Days will become a regular feature at all sites.

The safety management system is being further standardised and strengthened. Internal audits are being tightened up, technical standards harmonised, and procedures such as work permits and LOTOTO rolled out across the organisation.
In addition, we are investing in:
•  NEN3140 professional competence
•  Life Saving Rules (working at height, work permits, LOTOTO)
•  Emergency response organisation and emergency systems
•  Battery charging areas and PGS requirements 
•  Roof safety and other legal obligations
Compliance is systematically monitored and coordinated with external stakeholders such as insurers.