Occupational safety
Rheinmetall recognises its responsibility towards its employees and is committed to ensuring a safe working environment. Health promotion is intended to help design workplaces in such a way as to ensure that working conditions are conducive to good health and that safety-conscious behaviour is fostered in the workplace. Rheinmetall is committed to minimising, as far as possible, any risks and hazards that could potentially compromise the safety of its employees.
Global Operational Safety
Global Operational Safety forms the central occupational safety structure within the Group, which is embedded within Rheinmetall’s compliance organisation. This enables the Group to strive for harmonisation across the organisation in the field of occupational safety during times of transformation and growth. To this end, occupational safety focuses on three core areas: networks, strategies and digitalisation.
Occupational safety management system
An integral part of occupational safety at Rheinmetall’s operational sites is certification to the ISO 45001 standard, which sets out the requirements for an effective and efficient occupational safety management system. One key element in promoting occupational safety is therefore the implementation of a management system by the operational units in accordance with the ISO 45001 standard.
In addition to the existing occupational safety management system, audits were carried out during the financial year as a preventive measure in the field of occupational safety. The audits covered aspects relating to first aid, fire safety, training, hazardous substances, production safety and other operational measures. Every Group company must comply with local laws and regulatory requirements and must demonstrate that the relevant obligations are consistently addressed by staff and that their implementation is permanently ensured.
Workplace requirements
Workplaces are set up in accordance with statutory and generally recognised occupational safety guidelines, so that tasks can be carried out with as few accidents and as little physical strain as possible. This is achieved through continuous improvements to the working environment, for example through the provision of suitable work equipment in the form of ergonomic aids or personal protective equipment.
Based on analyses of data and in consultation with those responsible at site level, Rheinmetall has gained an understanding of the risks associated with specific activities and sites. Local audits, assessments of industry-specific risks, collaboration within a cross-divisional working group and dialogue with industry associations all contribute to the further development of this understanding. Work-related safety risks are typically of greater relevance to staff at production sites.
Key figures on safety
The number of reportable workplace accidents among employees in 2025 was 454 (previous year: 386). The accident frequency rate stands at 9.1 (previous year: 8.9). This figure is based on an estimate of employees’ actual working hours. To this end, the target working hours were adjusted for holiday leave, sick leave and public holidays compared with the previous year.