Gütersloh, 05/28/2025

Bertelsmann Reports Progress On Occupational Health And Safety Management

The most important contents of the new sustainability statement on health and safety.

This year marked the first time that a detailed corporate sustainability statement formed part of Bertelsmann’s annual report, published at the end of March. After yesterday’s article on key facts and figures on climate and the environment  from the sustainability report, today we summarize the most important content of the statement on health and safety, compiled for us by the experts in Bertelsmann’s Corporate Responsibility department.

Executive Board Guideline and Policies on Health and Safety

Bertelsmann’s new Executive Board Guideline on Health and Safety provides the framework for systematic health and safety management in the company’s divisions. This includes a clear definition of roles and responsibilities and the setting of targets. The “Health & Well-Being” and “Safety” policies describe Bertelsmann’s approach and the level of performance it strives to achieve. These documents underscore Bertelsmann’s commitment to the well-being of its employees and to a safe and healthy working environment.

Activities in international safety at Bertelsmann

A year ago, the international Safety Working Group was established to create a platform for cooperation between safety officers from the various divisions. “The members of the working group hold regular virtual and face-to-face meetings to share their experiences and jointly develop measures to further improve safety across the Group,” says Stefan Röseler, Safety Manager at Bertelsmann. “For example, last fall, the working group drafted the content of the Group-wide ‘Safety’ policy.”

For the first time, the Group Sustainability Statement reports on Group-wide Safety in accordance with the new ESRS standards (European Sustainability Reporting Standards), which are designed to promote transparency and awareness of sustainable safety practices. In 2024, 1,338 occupational accidents were reported across the Group, which corresponds to a rate of 11.9 occupational accidents per million hours worked. Most of these accidents occurred in divisions with logistics and printing sites, where forklift accidents or crushing injuries on conveyor belts occurred, for example. Already, 62 percent of Bertelsmann employees work in an environment that meets the new requirements of the Executive Board Guideline and policies. The Safety Working Group is currently conducting follow-up interviews in the divisions to put the reported results in context and develop Group-wide targets and measures based on them.

Outlook

Building on the numerous measures implemented under the 2021-2024 ESG program, Group-wide targets for the follow-up program are currently being developed in close coordination with the Health and Safety Officers in the divisions to ensure a healthy and safe working environment for all employees. “By taking this approach, added value is created in our cross-divisional working groups, we learn from each other across the Group, and further develop the topics of Health & Well-Being and Safety,” explains Anna Böhmer, Manager Health & Well-Being at Bertelsmann. In addition, reporting processes are being improved in order to establish the traceability of measures introduced. “Moreover, interesting ‘Health & Well-Being’ offers for employees are being planned again, such as the Group-wide ‘Mental Health in Focus’ initiative, which is taking place for the fourth time around World Mental Health Day on October 10,” adds Anna Böhmer.

Combined Group Sustainability Statement 2024