Occupational Safety and Health

Occupational health and safety management system

Wistron's plants leverage ISO 45001 Occupational Safety and Health Management System to maintain effective operations. Through education, training, promotion, and drills, the company ensures that all stakeholders have a clear understanding of their safety and health obligations and rights. This proactive approach aims to reduce and eliminate risks and impacts related to occupational safety and health. 

Labor Safety Committee

All Wistron plants have established a Labor Safety Committee to facilitate communication, provide consultation, and respond to complaints. The members of the Committee include managers responsible for decision-making as well as labor representatives. They serve to provide communication channels for employee participation and consultation in occupational safety management systems. Employees can offer their thoughts or suggestions on occupational safety and health to department representatives who will share employee feedback during annual meetings, allowing our employees to communicate with senior executives through the Committee.

Occupational Safety and Health Measures

Education and Training on Occupational Safety and Health

To ensure employees fully understand Wistron's occupational safety and health regulations and management system, and are equipped to respond to hazards and accidents, we conduct annual audits involving on-site inspections and verification activities. Additionally, all new employees are required to undergo general introductory education courses, such as Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) training.

For employees in specific job positions where unique hazards may occur, tailored specialized training is provided. This includes hazard notification training at the Malaysia plant and emergency response drills at the Czech plant, which focus on strengthening employee safety awareness and validating the safety of the working environment.

In 2023, a total of 200,106 individuals completed training, accumulating 168,406 training hours. Each plant conducts regular emergency response training and establishes relevant reporting processes tailored to its specific characteristics. This ensures the effectiveness of organizational disaster recovery mechanisms and reduces false alarms. In 2023, there were 51  reported For historical data, please refer to the section on internal near miss incidents. 

▲ Emergency first aid drill         ▲ Hazard awareness training         ▲ Confined space drill

▲ ISO45001 audit                      ▲ Emergency evacuation drill   ▲ Inspection of local exhaust ventilation system

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Hazardous Substance Management

Trained and qualified professionals are tasked with overseeing the management of hazardous chemicals used in manufacturing processes. Comprehensive controls are in place for the procurement, handling, storage and use of hazardous chemicals. In 2024, the Taiwan plant will carry out environmental protection actions to replace the main petrochemical detergents with environmentally friendly detergents, and continue to mitigate the environmental impact.Additionally, an annual safety and health training plans is regularly held to provide personnel with operational trainings, emergency response protocols and educational training. SDS (Safety Data Sheet) are also displayed in accessible areas for on-site operators to consult when needed for effective response in the event of emergencies. 

Workplace Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment

Trained and qualified personnel with identifying hazards and using quantified risk factors as the basis for risk assessment. Following review by the occupational safety and health management unit, risk levels are established, and operational controls and improvement objectives for hazard risks are defined. These are tracked regularly within the occupational safety and health management system to ensure potential occupational hazards are being consistently eliminated from the workplace.

In the event of an immediate and dangerous emergency during any operation, employees are authorized to assess the situation based on the severity of the danger present and then determine whether to cease operations or take necessary protective measures before evacuating without adverse consequences. In 2023, we identified and monitored two occupational safety risk indicators -   ≤1.15‰ incident rate per thousand employees within the plant and <4 significant violations. Risks are mitigated through regular training and monitoring mechanisms. Monthly controls and tracking of facility indicators are carried out to minimize the likelihood of risk occurrence. No related risks were identified in 2023.

Most medium-to-high-risk items pertain to mechanical injuries caused by improper handling of equipment. To mitigate this, employees are subject to additional training to ensure proper use of personal protective equipment and workflow inspections to reduce the likelihood of incidents.

Voluntary Reporting of Near Miss Incidents

Wistron has SOPs in place for near-miss incidents, such as fire, power outages or earthquakes. They are reported to the responsible units in accordance with the Incident Response and Investigation Management Procedures to verify whether an incident has occurred, conduct investigations, track events, and promote safety and health. Each incident is then documented in a near-miss incident record, submitted to superior officers and then retained for reference. The Company analyzes the causes, formulates corrective and preventive measures, evaluates the effectiveness of these measures, and continues to monitor improvement efforts.

Wistron has designed online platforms such as the Wistron WeChat services provided by the WeChat official account to facilitate prompt communication. It includes an intelligent customer service module to address inquiries from employees. Additionally, internal communication procedures are in place to facilitate quick reporting of any emergencies or near miss incidents.

In 2023, there were a total of 51 near miss incidents..  The majority of these incidents were caused by equipment malfunctions, such as false fire alarms. Prompt action and subsequent measures were taken to verify the functionality of related equipment and enhance inspection procedures, respectively. Specific maintenance precautions are also included to prevent similar incidents in the future.

 

• Note 1 : The scope of statistics is the employees.
• Note 2 : The data of 2020 to 2021, Asia includes China. In 2022, the Asia includes China and Malaysia. In 2023, the Asia includes China, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

Accident Investigation

When an employee or a contractor experiences a work safety incident, Wistron will investigate the incident and track progress in accordance with the Accident Response and Investigation Management Procedures. Then, we will determine damage conditions and occupational injuries based on the accident. After the accident investigations are completed, the Company is required to submit the results and carry out response measures for the designated supervisory unit to oversee and track to reduce losses and prevent similar situations in the future.

Data on Occupational Hazards & Injuries

Wistron identifies occupational safety and health issues with potential risks by analyzing data on occupational hazards and injuries, which guide the formulation of specific action plans improve workplace safety and reduce work-related injuries. Work-related injury statistics for Wistron employees and non-employee workers in 2023 are shown in the table below. Each plant reports detailed information on work injuries by month as well as monitoring and tracking by designated personnel to ensure they stay informed about work injury management. The tables below are compiled based on legal reporting requirements, with a focus on recording injuries. The definition of severe occupational injuries follows government regulations. We have not received any reports on occupational diseases. In terms of managing non-employee workers, all Wistron plants comply local regulations in managing on-site personnel and subcontractors. Through vendor selection and contractor management, Wistron assesses and standardized operational standards for suppliers to achieve our expected results from occupational safety and health management systems. In 2023, no significant violations (defined as violations with ≥NT$1M fines) occurred in the management of subcontractors.

In 2023, work-related injuries in Taiwan decreased from last year, with most accidents occurring during commutes, such as traffic accidents. The administrative department has enhanced communication on traffic safety and personal safety in the workplace through bulletin board announcements.

However, in the European and American regions, there has been an increase in the number of lost workdays compared to the previous year. This is mainly due to injuries caused by improper handling of machinery. To address this issue, we have strengthened employee education and training, and reviewed various standardized work processes to ensure that employees wear protective equipment to prevent injuries. 

Employee Absence Rate

Note 1 : Absence Rate: Number of absent days/Number of days to work*100. The number of days to work: refers to the number of working days. The number of working days is the sum of the total annual working days of each plant around the world.
Note 2: Sick leave excludes leave taken due to the pandemic.