Fostering a Safe, Inclusive Workplace at International Paper and Building Resilient, Prosperous Communities
Originally published in International Paper's 2023 Sustainability Report
International Paper’s employees are the heart of our business. That’s why we have a steadfast commitment to fostering a work environment that is not only inclusive and collaborative but also safe and conducive to overall well-being. Beyond the workplace, we’re helping to build resilient and prosperous communities, fostering a sustainable and vibrant future for all and making a positive impact that resonates far beyond our business operations.
Our approach
Our approach to fostering healthy people and communities covers internal imperatives — employee well-being, diversity and inclusion, and recruitment, development and retention — as well as investing in the communities in which we live and work.
Promoting employee well-being and safety
At International Paper, safety is core to who we are and how we operate. Nothing is more important than the safety of our employees, contractors and visitors. Providing our employees with a safe and healthy workplace is among our greatest responsibilities. We’re committed to achieving zero serious injuries for employees and contractors so everyone can return home safe and unharmed at the end of the day.
Creating a resilient safety culture
We strive to build a resilient safety culture where all employees feel empowered to be part of the solution to prevent injuries. In this culture, we anticipate and recognize unexpected events in order to learn, prevent and adapt by enhancing our previous systems and procedures.
In a complex and challenging environment like manufacturing, equipment failure and human error can and will happen. Our resilient safety culture challenges our teams to think how we can use our existing tools differently and what layers of protection we can develop to prevent injuries from happening when an error occurs. A resilient mindset requires us to use the skills and tools we have while adding new ones.
Our resilient safety culture requires excellence in the following five competencies:
- Truly embracing safety as a core value where safety is never compromised over production
- A highly engaged workforce that has been provided psychological safety to speak up
- A culture of continuous learning and improvement, ideally before bad events happen
- Superior pre-task planning
- Superior task execution to include post-task evaluation
LIFE program
On an enterprise level, our Life-changing Injury and Fatality Elimination program fosters a learning culture to advance an injury-free workplace. By focusing on six key areas of workplace risk, our goal is to eliminate serious injuries and achieve zero instances of injury.
Stopping accidents before they happen
At International Paper, we are not only working to prevent injuries but to eliminate them altogether. One way we do this is by holding Learning Events. These activities serve as a tool to address any exposures or potential exposures identified by team members reviewing a process or performing a task. In Learning Events, we use the Hazard Identification Risk Assessment (HIRA) tool to identify and mitigate safety risks and prevent incidents in the first place.
Another way we help keep our employees safe is with our Make Change Happen program. In this initiative, we take a proactive approach to identifying potential issues. For instance, at our Bilbao, Spain box plant, we realized that employees didn’t know how to respond in the event of a fire on the roof. We organized training sessions to show employees the appropriate actions and updated our emergency response plan accordingly.
Mental health matters
Everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health. Over the past few years, mental health has become a more prominent conversation topic inside and outside our company. We recently formed a Mental Health Committee as part of our Joint Health and Safety team and marked Mental Health Month in May by sharing mental health tips, facts and resources with our employees. In May and beyond, we continue to underscore that mental and emotional health is just as important as physical health and offer help to employees who are struggling.
LIFE is focused on six areas of workplace risk:
1. Slips, trips and falls
2. Machine safeguarding
3. Harmful substance exposure
4. Motorized equipment accidents
5. Driver safety
6. Material handling
About International Paper
International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global producer of sustainable packaging, pulp and other fiber-based products, and one of the world's largest recyclers. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., we employ approximately 39,000 colleagues globally who are committed to creating what's next. We serve customers worldwide, with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. Net sales for 2023 were $18.9 billion. Additional information can be found by visiting internationalpaper.com/.
About International Paper - EMEA
In Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), International Paper focuses on the production and marketing of fiber-based packaging and specialty pulp, employing approximately 4,400 people. As a leading supplier of high-quality corrugated containers for a multitude of applications, we serve customers throughout the region from our network of two recycled containerboard mills and 23 box plants in France, Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Specialty pulp is made in Gdansk, Poland. Other products available from International Paper in the region include a variety of Kraft linerboard and other pulp products.
