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Hitachi Rail STS is aware of the contribution that each company can give to safeguarding the world’s resources by adopting policies to reduce the intensive use of raw materials. 

It is difficult to make a reliable estimate of the raw materials used by the Company and contained in the electronic and electromechanical components for making signalling equipment. However Hitachi Rail STS’s search for increasingly standardised designs and innovation will increasingly lead to an overall reduction in the consumption of raw materials through a reduced use of components. 

The use of powerful technological platforms integrating several functions in the same subsystem enable the Company to reduce the size of equipment and their connectors, using simple and effective systems for scheduling, testing and roll-out.

The production of waste is an environmental aspect that is assessed and measured at all Hitachi Rail STS sites and offices when the environmental aspects of work sites and the construction of civil and technological works are analysed.

Hitachi Rail STS’s policy is to reinforce prevention and the re-use, recycling and recovery of waste. All its sites have waste collection areas based on the type of waste and site layout. External specialist companies collect and process the hazardous and non-hazardous waste.

The most prominent waste in production sites relates to paper, cardboard and wood packaging, metal and out-of-order equipment.

Recycling of packaging

In terms of packaging, Hitachi Rail STS uses mixed material packaging, plastic, cardboard and wood (crates). Part of the wood and plastic packaging is reused to package similar products, especially at the central warehouses at the Piossasco and Tito Scalo sites.

For Hitachi Rail STS, pollutant emissions relate to the consumption of non-renewable resources used to run thermal plants (methane and diesel) and to the production processes that emit volatile organic and inorganic compounds.

The sustainable management of site water during withdrawal and use encourages the maintenance and improvement of water use efficiency, ensuring less waste of the resource and reduced environmental impact.

The water is mainly used for sanitary purposes and for the operation and cooling of air conditioning systems; in certain locations it is also used for watering the green areas. Hitachi Rail STS’s water procurement sources include aqueducts and water tables where water is drawn through wells. To reduce water consumption, Hitachi Rail STS has installed devices that mix water and air or, alternatively, photocells or timed controls that effectively control the water flow, in order to minimise the waste of the resource.

Rainwater recovery projects at the Riom plant in France and the replacement of cooling towers with “dry" systems also contribute to sustainable water management.

Hitachi Rail STS acts in full compliance with current legislation, with the Code of Ethics, the Organisation and Management Model relating to Italian Legislative Decree no. 231/01, the Policies and all regulations on Health, Safety and Environment (HSE), pursuing a sustainable management of environmental issues related to its services in all its business areas.

Hitachi Rail STS has considered it strategic to include its Quality, Safety, and Environment System (IMS – Integrated Management System) within its governance framework and, in particular, to create strategic synergies with the Internal Auditing and Risk Management system: the Integrated Management System is thus considered a reference architecture to integrate systems and to implement principles and values within the organisation.

The Integrated Management System has been established at the corporate level, by implementing global policies and procedures in order to guarantee a controlled management of processes. In this context, the assessment of business risks and their proper management requires the correct identification of the processes and their interpretation from a systemic perspective.

Subsequently, each company established local environmental and safety policies, on the basis of the local legislative requirements and the corporate policies and procedures.

To ensure enhanced usability of documents, a Company Intranet was implemented. It allows all employees to more easily consult the corporate and local IMS documentation.

The 3 production sites and the 23 offices listed in the tables represent, in terms of employees, around 91% of Hitachi Rail STS, which is composed of a total of 3 production sites and 29 offices.

The production sites of Tito Scalo, Riom and Batesburg and the offices of Genoa, Les Ulis, Pittsburgh and Beijing have obtained the IRIS (International Railway Industry Standard) certification.

The IRIS standard is promoted by UNIFE, the Association of European Railway Industries, which guarantees its supervision and control. The IRIS standard was developed starting from the ISO 9001 standard, integrating it with specific railway sector requirements.

Hitachi Rail STS is part of the IRIS Steering Committee that rules the IRIS activities and of the Advisory Board which manages the interface between IRIS and the main European railway operators.

TRAINING ACTIVITIES

Hitachi Rail STS’s training path has been implemented with the cooperation of Training Needs Managers (TNM). This initiative aims to identify personnel who can serve as contacts for Human Resources in the definition of specific training and development plans for operational structures, in order to facilitate understanding of the specific needs of each operational unit and make it possible to define projects that more accurately target their actual needs. Training Needs Management is distinguished by the concept of “Community”, which translates into encouraging the creation of a network to reduce geographical distances.

Hitachi Rail STS carries out training and information sessions to draw attention to:

• the procedures and requirements of the Integrated Management System;
• the roles and responsibilities needed to achieve compliance with the environmental policy and the procedures and requirements of the Integrated Management System, including preparing for emergency situations and developing response capacity;
• the potential consequences of not complying with the specified operating procedures.

The training sessions were held by personnel competent in the relevant field. The specialised technical focus of the training demonstrates Hitachi Rail STS’s aim of targeting operating positions involved in duties and activities that are potentially critical in terms of environment, health and safety.