Safety Week shows the commitment of employees

In addition to raising a great deal of safety awareness, Keolis Belgium's Safety Week also yielded three winners, who can expect a visit from a food truck! The branches in Tildonk, Eigenbrakel and Jabbeke are the deserved winners of Safety Week.

Emily De Becker, site supervisor at Keolis Modern Toerisme, received the cup from CEO Stefan De Prycker. The Modern Toerisme branch came out on top thanks in part to its dedication and commitment. More than 60% of employees completed the Safety and Covid quizzes. Emily gave toolboxes to 48 employees on safety topics such as getting enough sleep, adjusting the mirror and avoiding falls. "The drivers were very motivated to attend," says Emily, "Light-hearted but relevant topics were discussed. The toolboxes are interactive and the drivers enjoyed sharing their experiences and tips with other colleagues. There was little contact among them lately, so this certainly made for a welcome change."

The competition factor was also decisive: "The competition provided a common goal of 'winning with OUR branch'. Colleagues who couldn’t participate in the toolboxes were encouraged by their colleagues to fill in the quiz. The Safety Week filled us with great enthusiasm! The fact that the cup is now so beautifully displayed in our cupboard is the icing on the cake."

Veiligheid bus

Stefan De Prycker responded: "The key to success lies first and foremost in the enthusiasm of the local branch managers . Emily showed tremendous commitment, which is crucial to getting colleagues involved. Don’t forget that Modern Tourism has not been part of the Group for a long time already and so has already absorbed up the company culture! I would therefore like to congratulate Emily in particular, because without her this wouldn’t have been possible. But of course I also congratulate all my colleagues who participated! The food truck has definitely been well-earned."

Safety Keolis

In Wallonia, Keolis Picavet in Eigenbrakel was the most committed branch. Georges Luxon, the branch's responsable, is satisfied: "We organised three days of toolboxes for our drivers. As many as 90% of our drivers attended three toolboxes." The drivers were motivated to participate in the toolboxes and quizzes. According to Georges, his colleagues Yves, Marc and José played an important role in this.

"We were able to motivate our drivers mainly thanks to the team spirit," he adds. "Since we became part of the Keolis Group, we’ve internalised the corporate and safety culture. Safety is paramount and the team knows that these training courses help us achieve this. We rarely have a workplace accident, but this happens to us too and not just to others. The toolboxes and poster campaigns certainly help to raise awareness."

Finally, the branch of Keolis Gino Tours branch in Jabbeke won the cup in in Flanders. Dirk Hellemans, operational director of Keolis Flanders, handed over the prize there. Hanne Deschacht, Operations Manager for the zone, also organised some toolboxes and confirms that safety is the priority for our sector: "Safety is a shared responsibility of the employer and the employees. It’s therefore important that everyone is aware of their individual role. A well maintained-vehicle  is only truly safe if the driver also makes every effort to drive safely."