EMPLOYEES

The company places importance on the management and employees taking an interest in the wellbeing and health of their colleagues. HB Grandi is a family-friendly workplace that seeks to provide a balance between work and family and private life. HB Grandi focuses on ensuring a good working environment, safety and good working facilities for its employees. The company offers its employees free annual health checks.

HB Grandi works on creating a sought-after workplace and to ensure the best working conditions it can for its employees. In its human resources policy, the company tries to ensure that the company employs capable and reliable employees who, through their professional and responsible efforts, ensure sustainable and efficient use resources. During 2018, there were an average of 773 full time employees (FTEs) within the group, based on full-year employment. With the arrival of the wetfish trawler Vigri to the fleet at the close of the year, 53 new FTEs were created. The FTEs, therefore, were 826 at the end of 2018. This number was 839 in 2017.

FTES

GENDER RATIO EMPLOYEES IN %

NEW HUMAN RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEM

Work was spent on the revision of the company’s human resources system during the year. The decision was made that the Group should adopt Kjarni, a human resources system serviced by Origo. A new website for advertisements for jobs in the company is expected to be launched in 2019. At the same time, preparations are underway to open a new electronic educational system for employees and to take the first steps in launching a “My pages” or self-service website for employees through Kjarni by the close of 2019.

WORKPLACE

On 16 March 2018, Workplace was launched at HB Grandi during a large staff meeting that was held in the National Theatre. The purpose for launching Workplace was to shorten communications lines within HB Grandi and adopt a powerful communications and collaboration tool. The experience of using Workplace has been good, and at present, company employees are more likely to be informed of the operations of the company and main news. The company’s operating environment is complicated, covering vessels within and outside the Icelandic economic zone, within cities and towns and far-flung communities. This tool has been successful in bringing employees closer together. In addition, efforts are underway to further develop the system for the benefit of the company and its stakeholders.

HUMAN RESOURCES POLICY

EQUAL PAY CERTIFICATION

The company has operated in accordance with an action plan on equal rights issues for the past years, and this work accords well with the goals aimed for. By far the greatest proportion of work at sea is carried out by men, while most jobs in fish plants, particularly on processing lines, are carried out by women. The company seeks to employ both men and women equally in the diverse working groups within the company. HB Grandi employees may not be discriminated against on the basis of gender, sexual orientation or ethnicity.

Work continued in 2018 on preparations for equal pay certification, although the work has taken longer than anticipated. The principal goal of equal pay certification is to combat gender-based wage gaps and promote gender equality in the labour market. The project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2019, at which time the main results will be presented to employees.

PRIVACY POLICY

The preparation of a personal privacy policy for the company was completed and published on its website.

HUMAN RIGHTS AND COLLECTIVE WAGE AGREEMENTS

HB Grandi respects general human rights, the right to be a union member and collective wage agreements. Importance was placed on contractors and sub-contractors complying with applicable national laws as regards all employees, whether wage earners or own sub-contractors. The company honours effective collective wage agreements and other statutory rights of employees, including as relates to holiday time, maternity/paternity leave and wages due to inability to work, illness or accident, as well as other rights provided for in the effective collective wage agreements in the operating areas of the company. Through its membership in SA, the Confederation of Icelandic Enterprises, the company has relations with numerous unions as regards the wages and terms of the company’s employees. 97% of employees are members of unions.

Victimisation and sexual harassment is not tolerated at HB Grandi. The company maintains a response action plan, reviewed during the year, in the event of any suspicion of victimisation or harassment in the workplace. The company has not established written rules on morals, corruption, human rights or bribery. Work in this respect, however, has been embarked on and will be completed if all goes well in 2019.

Training and education

HB Grandi focuses on ensuring that the company employs staff with exceptional abilities and invests systematically in educating and training its employees. It is important that new employees receive the appropriate education and training. New employees in fish processing have access to a mentor who will provide support and guidance.

With increased technological advancements, it has been become easier to reach employees who are stationed in diverse locations around the country and at sea. In 2018, HB Grandi purchased a new educational system, Eloomi. All HB Grandi employees have access to the system, and educational material will be distributed through the system. Employees can access the educational system by telephone or computer and attend the courses during such time as best suits them. At present, Eloomi has been used for new recruit training and all new recruit training has been distributed through the system. The system is expected to have been fully launched in 2019.

IN 2018, HB GRANDI PURCHASED A NEW EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, ELOOMI ALL HB GRANDI EMPLOYEES WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THE SYSTEM AND WILL BE TAUGHT APPROPRIATELY

MARITIME SAFETY AND SURVIVAL TRAINING CENTRE

Seamen undergo a training course at the Maritime Safety and Survival Training Centre each year. The main courses that seamen attend are:

NSL 02.1 Continuing education in safety knowledge,
NSL 03.1 Advanced fire prevention course,
NSL 04.1 Survival craft and rescue boats other than fast rescue boats,
NSL 05.1 Medical assistance on board vessels.

NSL 02.1 focuses on employees adding to their knowledge in the use of the rescue and safety equipment available on the vessel. Also explained are recent legislative amendments that relate to the safety issues of seamen together with innovations in safety and rescue equipment. The course is both theoretical and practical.

FISH PROCESSING COURSES

Fish processing workers attend fish processing courses that address the main aspects relating to the job and the sector. The theoretical courses are divided into twelve course elements, a total of 48 hours, and are based on lectures by teachers/instructors and graphical representations and project work carried out by participants. Once employees have completed the course, they will receive a pay raise in accordance with collective wage agreements. The course covers:

fish processing – fishing, processing methods and marketing;
ergonomics and posture;
safety in the workplace;
hygiene and bacterial growth;
internal monitoring in fish processing companies;
economy, employees and wage systems;
collaboration and communications within the workplace;
multiculturalism;
first aid;
confidence building;
environment and sustainable fisheries;
quality and treatment of foodstuffs – from catching to processing;
vocational training – assessed as regards employed persons.

NUMBER OF EDUCATIONAL HOURS IN 2018

Courses	Participants	Total number of education hours
Fish processing courses	30	1.530
Maritime safety and survival training centre	66	1.340
Conduct and public speaking	45	188
New recruit courses	108	216
First aid	173	812
Vocational training courses	5	8
Business English	10	40
	437	4.134

EMPLOYEE CELEBRATIONS

HB GRANDI FAMILY CELEBRATION AT HÚSDÝRAGARÐURINN PARK AND ZOO

Each year in August, HB Grandi invites staff and their families to a celebration in Reykjavík Park and Zoo (Húsdýragarðurinn ). Staff have been extremely happy with the outing, and participation has normally been very good. As in previous years, all children thirteen years of age and younger were given a free day pass for the park’s play equipment. There was free face painting and animal balloons, and everyone had their share of hotdogs. The ice cream truck from Valdís was also in the area and was very popular.

HB GRANDI CHRISTMAS CONCERT

HB Grandi invites its employees to a Christmas concert every year. In 2018, it was a Christmas concert featuring Björgvin Halldórsson’s Christmas Special, performed in Eldborg, Harpa.

HB GRANDI ANNUAL COMPANY CELEBRATION

The annual company celebration is, as a rule, held the day before Seamen’s Day, as it is the only weekend that all the seamen working for the company have a chance to attend.

The 2018 festivities were held on 2 June in Hilton Reykjavík Nordica and were a great success. Approximately 500 attended the celebration and had great fun together.

STAFF ASSOCIATIONS

The HB Grandi staff association is intended for all HB Grandi employees at sea and on land. The purpose of the association is to promote social and educational activities among its members, leisure trips, festivities and any cultural and educational matter that can be of use to members. In recent years, the staff association has had the goal of holding a spring and an autumn get-together, a Christmas buffet and a Christmas party for the children of HB Grandi employees. The staff association owns a summer cottage at Flúðir that is rented out throughout the year.

Employees of HB Grandi in Vopnafjörður can be members of the HB Grandi staff association or the staff association of HB Grandi in Vopnafjörður. The distance between Vopnafjörður and Reykjavík is considerable, and the staff in Vopnafjörður are rarely able to participate in events held by the HB Grandi staff association except in April to June, as the rest of the year is spent on working shifts.

The staff association in Vopnafjörður was revived around 2002, when the company Tangi was responsible for the operation, after having been inactive for many years at the time.

SAFETY

New arrangements for safety issues were adopted during the year and are intended to increase the importance of the subject within the company and strengthen the efficiency of safety measures. Responsibility for safety issues lies in the hands of the management. In addition, safety committees with clear mandates are operated throughout the company. The company’s human resources division is responsible for the management and supervision of these issues.

Each and every employee is responsible for their own safety. One of the basic prerequisites enabling us to be successful in reducing the number of accidents is that all stakeholders participate and that management as well as employees are determined to involve themselves in improving safety. The management is responsible for ensuring that all equipment is of the best quality and that the safety arrangements of the work areas and units for which they are responsible are up to date.

The company bases its operation on management leading by good example and that they lead the occupational safety work of the company.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

HB Grandi is a reliable workplace where the management and employees care about the wellbeing and health of their colleagues. The safety management system of the company covers all the operations of the company, registration and review of accidents and incidents. Risk assessments and safety rules are key factors, and focused training and education play an important role.

We at HB Grandi are determined to concentrate on occupational health and safety issues and create a safe working environment for our employees.

We are all responsible when it comes to occupational health and safety.
We respect each other and look out for each other.
We are proud to work in a workplace where safety issues are taken seriously.

SAFETY COMMITTEES AND SAFETY OFFICERS

Safety committees operate within the company and apply to all its operating units according to Regulation No. 920/2006 on the organisation and implementation of health and safety in workplaces. Safety issues are an integral part of the company’s human resources policy and great importance is placed on employees complying with the safety rules in the workplace, participating in safety education and making suggestions as to where improvements could be made.

There are a total of 73 employees holding seats in safety committees within the company. There are a total of 14 safety committees operated by the company. Safety officer is a term that covers both safety guards that are nominated by the manager of the operating unit in question and the safety stewards that are elected by employees. The role of safety officers is to ensure that issues relating to occupational health and safety are in accordance with applicable laws* and the policies of the company.

*Act No. 46/1980 on Working Environment, Health and Safety in Workplaces. Regulation No. 200/2007 on measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers on vessels.

THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 73 SAFETY OFFICERS THAT ARE MEMBERS OF 14 SAFETY COMMITTEES

PREVENTIVE MEASURES

Occupational health and safety issues are an important part of HB Grandi’s educational schedule. During new recruit orientation, the staff of the company carefully go over aspects that relate to the occupational health and safety of the company.

Preventive measures and education on board the company’s vessels are largely handled by the new recruit orientation carried out by vessel officers as well as during regular rescue exercises in which the entire crew participates. Great importance is placed on vessel officers holding regular rescue exercises, at least twelve times a year.

HB GRANDI 2018 SAFETY DAY

The HB Grandi Safety Day was held on 29 November 2018 for the third time. The Safety Day serves the role of maintaining necessary dialogue within HB Grandi as regards employee safety. The meeting brought together the management, safety officers and HB Grandi employees. The CEO of HB Grandi opened the meeting with an address. The Managing Director reviewed the new organisation of safety issues and new points of focus. The Human Resources Manager reviewed accident statistics in comparison with earlier years and arrangements for electronic accident registrations. The Technical Manager of Fishing Vessels reviewed safety issues relating to vessels, and the Floor Manager of Norðurgarður accounted for accidents on land and the status of safety issues in the fish processing plant.

ACCIDENTS

HB Grandi places importance on all accidents being recorded, and the procedures and work processes are presented to employees. All accidents and incidents must be recorded electronically on the intraweb of HB Grandi. All absence and care accidents of employees on land are notified to the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health (Vinnueftirlit ríkisins), the Icelandic Health Insurance (Sjúkratrygginga Íslands) and the insurance company. Absence accidents of workers at sea are notified to the Icelandic Health Insurance, the Icelandic Marine Accident Investigation Board (Rannsóknarnefnd sjóslysa) and the insurance company.

Lost time accidents: Accidents that cause absences from work (accident-related accidents), i.e. the day of the accident + the next day or longer.
Care accidents: Accidents where the injured party needs to seek assistance in a healthcare facility but comes back to work the next day.
First aid accidents: Minor accidents or accidents that require the use of first aid equipment (shallow cuts, etc.). The person in question continues to work.
Leisure time accidents: Accidents that occur during the leisure time of employees or on the way to and from work.

RISK FACTORS IN THE OPERATION OF HB GRANDI

With the adoption of electronic accident registration, the ability to analyse data has increased significantly. A total of 90 accidents were reported in 2018, whereof 63 were accidents on land and 27 were at sea. A total of 58 accidents were reported in 2017, whereof 42 were accidents on land and 17 were at sea. A total of 86 accidents were reported in 2016, whereof 60 were accidents on land and 26 were at sea.

The fact that 2017 began with a seamen’s strike that ended on 17 February may explain the large difference in the frequency of accidents between years in January and February.

ACCIDENTS 2016 - 2018

CAUSE OF INJURY ACCORDING TO TYPE OF ACCIDENT

The examination of all recorded accidents 2018 shows that absence accidents were for the most part due to blows of some form or another. In addition, serious accidents can be frequently traced to knives and instances where employees are crushed by or between objects.