“The good contaminates the good”: how the HSE function relies on collaboration, conversation, and curiosity

Maite Garcia Lacuesta, Global Environment, Health and Safety Director at Perfetti Van Melle, a multinational confectionery and gum company shares her journey into safety, driven by personal experiences and a desire to make a difference. The discussion delves into the impact of workplace accidents, the importance of a positive safety culture: “the good contaminates the good”, and the global perspective on workplace safety.

Maite emphasises the role of empathy, understanding, and collaboration in creating safer work environments; the importance of operations learning, and really including the shop floor in conversations.

We should put more focus on the positive side: how many people go home every day safe? And then, what are me doing that's working?

The episode also highlights the need for holistic safety approaches in organisations, where safety is integrated into all aspects of operations. Maite's insights on curiosity, learning from others, and the long-term importance of prioritising people's well-being provide valuable lessons for building a safety-conscious culture as an integral part of and not in isolation from every other goal within an organisation.

“How can we do this? But also doing it safely!”