Health and safety

Health and safety is about people. It is about taking ownership and being proactive, taking the initiative in improving our working environment and the safety of locations where our solutions are used. We want to create safety rather than just prevent injuries. This means striving for improvement, enhancing not only safety, but also quality, productivity and satisfaction, all hand in hand. We are committed to do our utmost to ensure that everyone returns home safe every day. 

Health and safety in our own operations

Kalmar operates in an industry that presents high risks to personal safety, and the company continuously assesses its operations to identify, prevent and mitigate the risk of injuries and ill health, and to seize opportunities to improve safety. The health and safety of our employees is a fundamental element of our operations, and Kalmar is committed to provide a harm-free workplace where people are safe. 

Our various locations – from an office environment to assembly facilities, service locations and various customer sites – pose different types of health and safety risks.  The main health and safety risks are associated with the manufacturing and services operations, as well as with the use of Kalmar’s equipment. Kalmar has a proactive approach when it comes to health and safety and the company’s health and safety programmes, for example, include training, development of practices, audits and target follow-ups. Ensuring that Kalmar employees have the needed competencies, skills and tools to perform their job in the best possible way is essential to ensure a safe environment.

To foster a robust safety culture, Kalmar implements several proactive engagement measures and employees are actively encouraged to report health and safety observations. Health and safety training is part of the company’s regular induction process and provided throughout the organisation. E-learning platforms support continuous training, and task-specific training is provided to enable employees to perform their work safely and in a correct manner. All employees are also required to complete Kalmar’s Code of Conduct e-learning, which always includes a section on health and safety. 

In case of any incidents, Kalmar has a systematic approach to ensure effective investigations to prevent similar incidents from happening again. Complying with regulations both on local and regional level is always ensured. 

In our daily operations, the ISO 45001 health and safety management system provides guidance on how to manage our safety impacts. Kalmar has taken precautions against safety risks in its manufacturing operations through policies and guidelines, training, certification principles, travel safety guidelines, rescue planning, and information security instructions. In 2025, the ISO 45001 certification coverage at Kalmar’s assembly sites and innovation centres was 100 percent.

Health and safety in our value chain

Kalmar’s health and safety work covers, not only the company’s own employees, but also its suppliers and customers’ employees who operate Kalmar’s equipment. As the majority of our materials and components are sourced from third-party suppliers, we acknowledge potential negative impacts that our operations may contribute to in the supply chain. As commonly is the case in industrial operations, value chain workers may experience poor working conditions, relating to for example individual health and safety incidents. 

To proactively address and mitigate these risks, Kalmar implements ongoing due diligence in its supply chain. The company has strict health and safety requirements for its suppliers and other business partners and the company conducts regular supplier assessments and audits. This approach ensures that Kalmar takes proactive measures to uphold health and safety aspects throughout its global supply chain. By engaging and supporting its suppliers, Kalmar can help them improve their health and safety-related performance. 

Also based on customer feedback and media reports, operators of heavy machinery are at risk of ill health, minor and severe personal injuries and even fatalities. The end-users of Kalmar’s equipment are typically customer employees who operate the equipment. Kalmar has the responsibility to provide an instruction manual with each piece of equipment sold, and it is the customer’s responsibility to ensure that operators are properly informed to avoid the unsafe use of the equipment. 

Kalmar prioritises safety in its equipment design, incorporating multiple features to minimise accident and injury risks. By continuously developing safer, quieter, more ergonomic, and cleaner equipment and solutions, Kalmar can reduce the risk of negative health and safety impacts on people who operate the company’s equipment.

To ensure the health and safety of people throughout our value chain, we have related requirements for our suppliers and other business partners. These requirements are described in detail in our Business Partner Code of Conduct.