BOUYGUES BATIMENT NORD-EST eliminates harsh working conditions to preserve the health of its site crews

As part of the Sustainable Development Week's schedule of activities, Bouygues Batiment Nord-Est sought to emphasize to all staff members, but particularly construction teams, the actions and tools implemented by the company to improve ergonomics.

Towards this end, a so-called "ergo-tour" was held at 8 different worksites according to a format designed around 4 workshops covering the following topics:

•  Warm-up exercises, to better understand an individual's utility and explain how best to take daily care of his body for this line of work;
•  Medical restrictions and disabilities intended to enhance awareness and trigger a discussion on these issues;
•  Promotion of ergonomic devices to test at the worksite a number of innovative tools aimed at overcoming physical constraints;
•  Presentation of constraints associated with each specific trade and improvements introduced by the company to induce behavioral changes in the execution of daily tasks.

Through these various workshops, the 250 crew members enrolled in this approach became familiar with the actions taken by the company to upgrade working conditions. The number of existing medical restrictions, testimonials of construction workers coping with such restrictions, and the daily loads being handled by a typical formworker are just some of what tour participants were exposed to for the first time that sparked their interest.

The positive outcome of this event led to rolling out the action plan within each subsidiary of the Bouygues Entreprise France Europe group of companies.