Interview with Claudio CLORI, the safety prevention coordinator at AVERY DENNISON

A company which received an award during the STOP THAT NOISE campaign organised during the European Week for Safety and Health at Work in 2005

A part of the American international corporation AVERY DENNISON, the company with the same name based in Luxemburg specialises in producing self-adhesive labels. Owing to its equipment (winders, dryers and cutters...), the average acoustic burden measured at 90 dB(A) therefore exposes 250 employees to noise every day. COTRAL Laboratory, present in Luxemburg, were consulted as part of the study of solutions using individual hearing protections.

Combating noise at AVERY DENNISON

Cotral: "In this type of company, 30 to 80% of the employees are exposed to noise. Among them, one should not forget the maintenance department which is regularly exposed. One should also note the American culture which is highly prominent at AVERY DENNISON: modernity and a very strong policy in terms of employees' safety and wellbeing. "Within this context, combating noise is subject to specific measures.

Cl. Clori: "We perform annual measurements on the entire site and a report is transmitted to the operators. Based on this, we make proposals for improvements. On the advice of our occupational physician, we have provided the employees with various types of individual protections against noise. It was during implementation of this project that we called on COTRAL Laboratory. Mr. J-P. Rauscher assisted us and advised us above all within the context of introduction of the personalised hearing protections. "

The choice of the COTRAL hearing protections

Cotral prevention technician: "My initial contacts date back to 2002. Mr. Clori was already acquainted with our hearing protections because an employee had some (he had been equipped in a company in which he formerly worked). The main requirement expressed was communication, which corresponds perfectly to the characteristics of our anti-noise protections. This was followed by the need for comfort, which was met by the combination of a customised hearing protection and silicone. Finally, the concern about hygiene did not pose any problems owing to our handles for grasping the protections (which are not present in those of our colleagues) and the  Cleanil wipes. As for the Cleanil Pro kit, it is held in high esteem by the maintenance technicians; the bulb which it contains allows the canal to be freed of dust, thereby maintaining the advantage of communication while remaining protected. Tests, based on active and reliable voluntary participation, had been performed during an initial phase. Generalisation of the system was decided 9 months later. "

Cl. Clori: "Our initiative does not stop at this. We will continue to work with external consultants in order to reduce the noise on our production lines. In parallel, our eventual aim is to extend wearing of the personalised hearing protections to all our production departments. "

Involving and creating awareness among the employees of the risk of noise

On a more general level, the safety initiative is highly important within AVERY DENNISON and entails involvement of the management staff in all accidents.

Cl. Clori: "We highlight safety in our internal communication policy; it is the 1st topic of the management meeting: accident views and scoreboards, circulation or regular provision of communication reports on thematic issues. It was within this context that we issued the "Stop that noise booklets" (only available in french). They were met with great success. The individuals asked questions and this booklet was highly instructive and very easy to read. We are keenly interested in this type of medium which does much to facilitate communication and assists us during our awareness campaigns. With regard to the European Prize for good practices in health and safety at work, the fact of having received an award motivates our employees internally and within the group. AVERY DENNISON Luxemburg acts as a forerunner in this field. In this way, our employees see that the management's efforts to improve working conditions and guarantee their health and safety are genuine and recognised. Furthermore, this reinforces our credibility before official administrations such as the Labour Protection Inspectorate, Occupational Medicine or furthermore industrial accident insurance. This prize is therefore the fruit of our common endeavours and has made a name for us among the general public. "