Sustainability

Occupational Safety

The health and safety of our own workforce, contractors, and neighbors have the highest priority and are firmly anchored in our strategy. They form the foundation of our corporate responsibility and secure our license to operate. We act responsibly to minimize risks and to protect people and the environment.

Female employee in a lab working

We are aware of the high level of responsibility we bear as an employer toward our own workforce and recognize the potential negative impacts associated with their work, particularly for those working in laboratories or production facilities where they handle hazardous substances or operate complex equipment and machinery. To effectively address these risks, we establish and maintain binding global requirements for occupational safety. These policies are based on the guiding principles of the global Responsible Care® initiative of the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) and underscore our commitment to protecting the safety, health, and lives of all employees in the workplace. The effectiveness of these requirements is regularly assessed through audits conducted as part of the Responsible Care management system.

To prevent potential negative impacts, we apply a risk-based approach. This includes comprehensive hazard assessments and risk analyses, clear requirements for safe working practices, structured incident investigations including root cause analyses, as well as the derivation and implementation of appropriate corrective measures. A systematic global exchange of experience ensures that effective measures are shared and implemented consistently across all sites.

Effective safety campaigns enhance awareness of safety‑relevant topics, with the clear goal of reducing or completely avoiding workplace incidents and injuries. At the same time, our high safety standards and comprehensive safety trainings help strengthen the well‑being, safety, and resilience of our own workforce - extending beyond the workplace.

High‑Severity KPIs at BASF

In 2023, BASF introduced a company‑wide strategic focus on preventing work process-related high-severity injuries. The aim of this realignment is to systematically reduce risks by consistently avoiding events that could have significant impacts on people, the environment, and assets.

This shift enables more effective resource allocation and strengthens internal governance and control mechanisms within safety management. Event‑based learning is being systematically embedded to ensure that safety‑relevant insights are consistently incorporated into operational decision‑making. At the same time, hazard awareness is further reinforced across all organizational levels.

As part of this strategic development, a high‑severity KPI for occupational safety (HSI, Work Process-Related High-Severity Injuries) were introduced. The KPI measures work process-related high-severity injuries using a rate‑based methodology (per 200,000 working hours) and serves as a binding steering metric across the Group. The global target value is 0.10 by 2030.

Target 2030

Rate of high‑severity work process–related injuries (HSI) worldwide per 200,000 working hours.

≤ 0.05

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Facts and Figures
Where do we stand?
Female employee in a lab working
Conditions
Global uniform standards
world map of safety champions
Global Safety Initiative
Safety at all sites