Section SOCIETY
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IMERYS Industrial Minerals Greece Single-Member Société Anonyme
Take Safety Home: R.S.I. Educational Programs for Imerys Greece SA employees and their children with the collaboration of the Road Safety Institute (R.S.I.) “Panos Mylonas”

As safety is the first priority for the Imerys Group, for 2017 the actions of IMERYS GREECE S.A. focused on road / driving and pedestrian safety issues.

In 2017, employees, contractors as well as employees’ children (aged 5 to 17) were trained how to "Take Safety Home"! Following the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility, IMERYS GREECE S.A. included in her actions also the participations of children from “SOS Children’s Village” (NGO protecting interests and rights of children).
Aim of the activity was to raise children’s awareness in Safety extended beyond their play or the working place, on the road, at home, in the community, and communicate this message in an entertaining way.

In the educational activities of IMERYS GREECE S.A. that were carried out by the R.S.I. "Panos Mylonas" participated:

  • 550 employees of the facilities of Kifissia, Milos and Kardjali in Bulgaria
  • 60 children of Kifissia employees
  • 40 children of "S.O.S. Children's Villages" in Greece
     

All trainings took place throughout the year 2017.

Within this action’s framework, Kifissia GR, Milos Island GR, and Kardjali BG operations organized four educational activities focused on Safety, Safe Behavior and self-protection addressed to employees and children of all ages.

Adults training

A 3-hour training about safe driving entitled “AVENUE - Actions for Vulnerable, Elderly, Novice drivers and road Users in Europe - for Traffic Safety”.

This training was a complete educational road safety program consisting of two parts, one theoretical and one experiential. The knowledge and facts that came up in the theoretical part were proven in experiential training, where all employees made use of high-tech simulators and appropriate equipment.

Each employee had the opportunity to experience:

  • distraction into doing simultaneous things (Distract-a-match)
  • the driver’s reaction time and braking distance under different conditions (Reaction test)
  • distraction while driving (Driving simulator)
  • the risk of driving under the influence of alcohol (Alco goggles)
  • the impact of weight during a collision (Collision weight scale)
  • the sense of risk and the importance of seatbelt during rollover (Roll-over car simulator)
  • the sense of risk and the importance of seatbelt during collision (Belt sledge simulator)

Children Training

A Road Safety Educational Programs designed by Traffic Safety experts (Pedagogues and Traffic Engineers) of Road Safety Institute (R.S.I.) “Panos Mylonas” took place at Kifissia’s premises.  The event included the following three initiatives:

1. Pedestrians Educational Programs "Be a Knight of Road Safety" and "In Traffic with Safety" for 5-8 years old children. They learnt about traffic safety through experiential learning games: Walking safely on the pavement, stop at the edge of the pavement, crossing the road and playing safely at the neighborhood.

2. Bike Educational Program "Cycling in Safety" for children of 9-12 years old, designed in cooperation with the Deusche VerkesWacht (German Road Safety Organization). They learnt about safe cycling, under the guidance and supervision of RSI educators, while it was promoted the team spirit and the active participation in a playful way.

3. Traffic Educational Program "Do it Right" for teenagers. The program taught, through experiential learning, teenagers about road safety and safe behaviors on traffic under the guidance of RSI scientific stuff. They had the opportunity to experience the sense of risk and the importance of seatbelt during collision (Belt sledge simulator) as well as the risk of driving under the influence of alcohol (Alco goggles)

Traffic Safety experts of Road Safety Institute (R.S.I.) “Panos Mylonas” designed the Road Safety Educational Programs.

Road Safety Institute “Panos Mylonas” was the result of a vision which followed a tragic and unfair loss; the loss of Panos Mylonas who died at the age of 22 in a car accident The main purpose of the Institute is to support activities on issues that promote road safety, traffic education, study, research, information and education, aiming primarily at the prevention and reduction of road accidents.
(http://www.ioas.gr) 

Employees of IMERYS GREECE S.A. related to Health & Safety sectors have been actively involved in these training on site facilities (Milos, Kardjali and Kifissia). In total, 20 employees participated in all the facilities.
 

Facilities of Kifissia, Milos and Kardjali in Bulgaria.
 

Training has increased employees’ awareness on road safety issues, changed the wrong driving behavior and formed the basis for further information on road safety issues.

Likewise, the 100 participating children were initiated in the notion of SAFETY while they are walking, bicycling, playing at their neighborhood, everywhere and all the time in their lives. These will be the future adults, students, parents and professionals to communicate the Safety messages they were taught during this event. 

IMERYS GREECE S.A. through all road & pedestrian trainings has once again stressed the importance of employees’ safety and, in addition, promoted the concept of "taking safety home”.