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2016 REGISTRATION DOCUMENT
HERMÈS INTERNATIONAL
54
Corporate social responsability
2
People
2.3.5
Working environment
The Group constantly monitor employees’ working conditions. In 2016,
the main improvements made were as follows:
Leather Goods
To protect employees, the work begun in 2014 to improve the machines
continued. Noise reduction is a major objective of this work. Working clo-
sely withmanufacturers or suppliers of equipment, the central teams are
revising the systems for noise reduction at the source to ensure greater
comfort in the workshops.
Tanneries
All tanneries continued work to optimise the management of chemical
products and replace certain substances in order to comply with current
regulations and anticipate future changes (REACH and POP [persistent
organic pollutants] regulations, biocides, etc.). The programme for mea-
suring employee exposure to certain chemical agents, which began
in 2015, continued at the Vivoin, Montereau, Cuneo and Annonay sites.
By way of example, the following actions took place:
s
s
continuing work to make air extraction and renewal mechanisms
compliant;
s
s
improved machine safety;
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s
monthly safety communication and training campaigns on sites;
s
s
improved safety on sites when renovating and designing buildings.
Textiles
The Silk division held round tables with 150 employee volunteers on
“living well at work”.
Perfumes
At Hermès Perfumes, investments and studies aimed at improving
site safety, working conditions and employee wellbeing amounted to
€0.27 million, particularly for site fire protection (improvements to sprin-
kler systems, generators for motor pumps, firefighter suction areas, fit-
ting of smoke detectors), fitting of protective barriers, ground renovation,
installation of a pergola on the terrace, renovating toilets and protecting
employees from the risk of explosions (update to the ATEX diagnostic).
For the fourth year, a campaign to limit employee exposure was imple-
mented in liaison with the chemical risk evaluation in place on the site.
Cristallerie Saint-Louis
The assessment of the Saint-Louis production unit’s chemical risk, car-
ried out in 2012, was updated in 2016. This update, taking into account
the results of previous campaigns, has clarified the level of exposure to
certain Homogeneous Exposure Groups (HEG). They have thus been
subject to samples during the campaign, which took place during the
month of December 2016. Actions also took place to reduce the expo-
sure thresholds noted during these analyses (e.g.: replacing the “chemi-
cal etching” workstation). Other projects included replacing the borehole
for acid effluents. A system to treat the fumes from the new tank furnace
also captures the combined emissions from the crystal sampling points
on the tank and pot furnaces. A system for treating ambient air quality
was installed for the gold decoration workshop. The working area for the
“chemical etching” workshop is currently connected to the workshop’s
air treatment system. A fire detection solution was consolidated in the
finished products storeroom along with fire hydrants and suction areas.
A new tank furnacewas built, to replace theworn out “furnace”, providing
an opportunity to rethink the flows from the “hot glass” process and refit
the corresponding workshop. A project team was set up incorporating
artisans, which from the beginning enabled them to input ideas for their
new workshop which they have been using since November.
Tableware
At the CATE, a reduction in the fire risk in the production unit was also
a strong theme in the prevention strategy. The boiler and the supply
of fuel oil in the basement of the building were replaced with an elec-
trical installation, reducing the risks of fire, pollution and nuisance for
the artisans when filling the tanks. Combustible building materials were
protected with insulatingmaterials to avoid ignition with a hot spot. Some
employees received training from an outside body on using fire extin-
guishers and two evacuation exercises were held over the year. Under
the hardship action plan, the last decoration workstations have been
replaced with more ergonomic models. In the same way, “brush” works-
tations have all been changed for more ergonomic models, convertible
for left- and right-handers, height adjustable and luminosity.