Environment and safety
All-round sustainability
In 2021 the Alfa Acciai Group adopted the Sustainability Report as a tool for the transparent reporting of company performance, in line with its corporate culture and commitment to sustainability that has always featured in its DNA and company strategy. This decision further completes and strengthens its commitment to managing environmental, social and economic topics and aspects, and aims to facilitate clear communication and fruitful engagement with all stakeholders.
The scope of reporting includes all companies operating within the Alfa Acciai Group, i.e., Alfa Acciai, Acciaierie di Sicilia, Tecnofil and Ferroberica. Though it has a significantly lower impact than that of the Group’s two steel mills (Alfa Acciai and Acciaierie di Sicilia) as to raw materials, consumption, emissions and waste, Ferroberica shares the Group’s deep commitment to sustainability-related issues, in both environmental and social terms, with emphasis on safety.
Ferroberica fully supports the Alfa Acciai Group policy on environmental issues and the sustainability of the company's production cycle.
The production process at Ferroberica, especially pre-shaping operations in the production sites, classed as 'cold processing', requires no environmental management system for the following reasons:
- The material used in Ferroberica processing comes from companies within the Group, and does not undergo changes to its chemical/physical structure during processing operations;
- The processing operations implemented by Ferroberica do not involve the release of pollutants into the atmosphere, soil or aquifer.
Ferroberica operates daily with the aim of balancing company growth expectations with protecting the environment, the health and safety of workers, and satisfaction and respect of customers.
One example is the use of scrap produced from processing the original material in the initial melting process at the Alfa Acciai and Acciaierie di Sicilia steel mills to produce new steel, and therefore reducing waste.
Long-term success can only be achieved by involving the entire supply chain, and continually applying a responsible and sustainable economic strategy that focuses on environmental issues resulting from industrial and production activities.
Occupational health and safety as an integral part of supply quality
Ferroberica fully supports the Alfa Acciai Group policy in relation to health and safety in the workplace as well, and focuses on this area through employee education and training.
Protecting and promoting occupational health and safety has always been a priority for the Alfa Acciai Group, therefore, in addition to the Ferroberica Safety Management System, the company has had an OHS Governance Model since 2012, which is in line with the requirements of legislative decree 231/2001, and was finalised with the appointment of a Supervisory Body.
With regard to ongoing training for employees on company safety, Ferroberica requires new hires to complete a compulsory shadowing period when they are trained and instructed in the field by expert colleagues, and undergo training on risks at work and prevention measures provided for their role. To this effect, all company employees and collaborators attend refresher courses, which include new requirements and the use of new technologies, if applicable.
In particular, shaping and assembly workers must attend specific training courses on identifying and understanding which practices are suitable in the work environment, using personal protective equipment correctly, handling reinforcement bars and lifting loads properly, and using the equipment provided correctly.
As a member of the Italian steel association of reinforcing steel pre-shapers ANSFER, Ferroberica took an active part in finalising the first manual on health and safety in the workplace specifically for operators in the pre-shaped steel industry, to be used as a valid training and information tool.
This means Ferroberica figures for accidents and industrial illness are constantly improving. With a culture of safety, respect for employees, and significant personnel involvement, Ferroberica has an almost zero turnover of personnel, indicating loyalty to the company and the main drive for ongoing professional development.
