“Leafing through time”: MaW-back then in 2014
- nn0095
- Nov 22
- 3 min read
New Series - MaW-back then
For three decades, “Menschen am Werk” (MaW) has been recording remarkable events experienced by Berndorf employees in their everyday work at the Group's companies around the globe. The collection in the annual magazine gives readers an insight into what it feels like to be part of the big Berndorf family. In the new series “MaW-Damals” (MaW-Back Then), the editorial team searches for stories that were once the talk of the town and asks what has happened since then.
The accident at work changed a lot of things. What remained was Mario Pieler's connection to the work.
Flashback
In 2012 and 2014, an accident at work became the subject of “Menschen am Werk”. What happened? Young Berndorf Band worker Mario Pieler got caught in a machine while cleaning. Within seconds, courageous colleagues managed to rescue the seriously injured man and administer first aid. A long rehabilitation process followed. Mario Pieler was not alone – his team and management supported him. Herbert Schweiger, then CEO of Berndorf Band, explained in an interview with MaW: “Mario Pieler is and remains part of the Berndorf Band family.”
Thirteen years after the accident at work: We meet Mario Pieler between two appointments with tradesmen at the Berndorf plant. It is summer and the 43-year-old is co-ordinating a construction project in the Berndorf Band Group's office building. A few months earlier, his boss Herbert Blochberger had asked him if he felt up to the task when the previous site coordinator left the company. Pieler agreed and once again confirmed the trust placed in him.
Back at the factory since 2014
Just as he had handled visa matters for his colleagues in the field or given new priority to improving production safety at the factory. Influenced by his own accident experience, Mario Pieler put his heart and soul into his comeback in 2014. During eleven months of sick leave, his connection to the factory was never broken. His boss encouraged and challenged him, becoming an important companion on his way back into the world of work.
But just as significant as every new task in his job was the change that the former shift worker experienced in his private life. In 2025, Mondays and Thursdays are not devoted to work, but to part-time parenting. Since the last “Menschen am Werk” interview, Mario Pieler has not only become a father, but has also built a house and planted at least one tree. He is well on schedule in achieving the most important life goals of ancient tradition.
Consistency instead of impatience
Time plays a different role for him today than it did before the accident, says Pieler: “I'm actually an impatient person. But in hospital and during rehab, when I learned how to use the prosthetic hand properly, my perspective shifted.” Impatience turned into consistency. The seemingly impossible became possible. With his sports prosthesis, Mario Pieler can now even indulge his passion for mountain biking.
“No matter what the task, I set myself goals step by step. Once I've reached one, I move on to the next stage,” says Mario Pieler, who successfully sticks to his tasks: “Children learning to walk are the best example of how important it is to get up after you fall down.” Together with his partner, the young father does not want to miss out on accompanying their 5-year-old daughter as she grows up: “Taking parental leave was a very important step. I was able to discover new skills in myself and the connection to my employer was further strengthened.”