Environment & Safety

SAFETY, HYGIENE AND HEALTH

SAFETY POLICY
Vitrohm is aware that the personal and professional achievement of its employees is influenced by the quality of life at work, in particular regarding internal safety, hygiene and health conditions, and makes this idea a significant goal for the improvement of the organization itself as a company.

Vitrohm is continuously developing a rigorous internal safety management program to prevent professional risks, contributing to the containment and reduction of accidents, to the increase of well-being, and, thus, to the competitiveness, factors often inseparable and always desired.

Some measures implemented
According to the Portuguese Standard NP 4397 based on the OSHAS 18001 Standard, Vitrohm implement the following measures and steps:

  • Planning, Implementation, Verification and Action – Implementation of projects and activities according to a schedule.
  • Risks analysis at all work places with hazard identification and professional risks control through studies and implementation of measures (physical and chemical risks).
  • Control equipment handling risks implementing rules and measures of how to use and handle them to prevent and protect employees.
  • Involvement, motivation and collaboration of employees.
  • Training and information about risks for the employees and how to protect themselves.
  • Implementation of a new Internal Emergency Plan in order to improve the capacity to detect and fight fires, as well as develop a quick reaction to emergency situations.
  • Continuous improvement culture in several safety and organization features.
     

ENVIRONMENT

ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION
Based on a policy of constant environmental concern, such as, reduction of energy consumption and better performance, Vitrohm always searches for better solutions for lighting, HVAC system and motorization.

Therefore, Vitrohm consumes annually about 50% according to the reference SGCIE* (500tep/year), and so is not considered a company with an intensive energy consumption.

GAS EFFLUENTS EMISSIONS
Vitrohm reduced significantly the gas mass flow rate emitted into the atmosphere and was dismissed, by the national entity responsible – CCDR, of performing annual measurements starting to monitor every three years.

Though, there is a continuous search for better solutions that may be less polluting and more eco-friendly.

LIQUID EFFLUENTS EMISSIONS
The company’s liquid effluents are quarterly monitored by a specialized company. The water consumed industrially is reused in a closed circuit, so there is no discharge in the public sewer system. 

WASTE
All waste produced – solid and liquid – are carefully gathered, sorted and stored after being collected by specialized companies and transferred to an appropriate location according to the type of waste.

Some of these wastes, ferrous or non-ferrous, are even valued. Vitrohm fully complies with the legislation, which is no more than the transposition into national law of the various EU Directives. Vitrohm operates according to the best practices of the sector.

*SGCIE» Management System of Intensive Energy Consumption (Portuguese law)