An integrated approach to drive our culture of safety
Together we care for our people and our place.
We do not compromise on our goal to get ‘Everyone Home Safe Every day’ and continue to drive initiatives that build safety into the foundations of our culture.
“Safety is a priority at Givaudan, and I encourage every colleague to consistently prioritise safety and actively look out for the wellbeing of their teammates at all times. The tragic incident in Louisville points to the critical importance of safety practices. I want to use this opportunity to express our deepest sympathies to the families most affected.”
Gilles Andrier, CEO
We adopted the Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) methodology to drive behavioural safety. This methodology emphasises that good or bad outcomes are not solely the result of workers not following rules and procedures, but rather a network of elements and influences that work together. HOP helps us understand that given the conditions, information, tools, equipment, and pressure faced by workers, we would likely make the same decisions. The focus is therefore on fixing the system rather than blaming our people.
HOP involves listening and understanding our people to tap into their knowledge and expertise. After starting with pilot sites in 2021, the number of HOP Practitioners increased consecutively in 2022-2023. This year we have continued with this approach to create a robust HOP community, even beyond EHS, we have provided capacity to senior and site leadership, who will play a key role in deploying the HOP concepts in our daily operations.
HOP practitioners are vital for implementing the HOP methodology locally. They are the driving force for the deployment on site. In 2024 we trained 73 employees during, in total, 956 hours training. For 2025 we plan to train another 82 people. A practitioner training consists of e-learning and a week face-to-face training. HOP improves resilience, efficiency and operational excellence, helps organisations find enduring solutions to problems, and allows us to clarify workplace system issues and prevent problems before they occur.
Safety stand downs as powerful interventions
In our unwavering commitment to having a safe workplace, safety stand-downs are essential. Site operations management is the driving force behind these initiatives, consistently championing the message that safety is our primary focus.
More than just a pause in operations, safety stand-downs are powerful interventions that emphasise the importance of our protocols and prevent incidents. Rooted in the Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) methodology, our safety stand-downs exemplify our steadfast commitment to safety. At their core, safety stand-downs aim to create awareness, address potential risks, and reinforce the significance of safety and quality protocols. By pausing and reassessing our work environments and practices, we can identify and correct hazards that may have been overlooked.
During a safety stand-down, leaders engage every team member in meaningful dialogue about safety, ensuring that everyone understands the importance of our protocols. Safety stand-downs are invaluable opportunities for growth and improvement.
One example is given by our approach in Devon, where an interdepartmental meeting takes place every month. During this meeting, participants discuss key performance indicators around safety performance and identify potential areas for improvement and safety hazards. Involving those who execute the relevant operations is critical because they are best placed to assess and address risks in a way that enhances efficiency and safety. In the case of an incident, the team discusses the root cause and a course of action to prevent such an incident from happening again. The report is shared with colleagues across the rest of Givaudan as part of the ‘Learn from Event’ process. This local example and others like it show how we create a safer and more efficient work environment.
Ensuring safety – The foundation of our workplace culture
At Givaudan, safety is not just a priority but an integral part of our workplace culture. In our pursuit of excellence, we have established 12 safety ground rules that serve as the foundation for a safe and secure working environment. These rules are designed to prevent accidents, mitigate risks, and protect the wellbeing of our employees.
We engage in numerous local activities across the organisation to reinforce our safety ground rules and to make sure they are embedded in everything we do. These are some examples of such local activities.
In China, we held a safety knowledge competition at Taste & Wellbeing sites. The local team designed a special wheel with 12 sections representing our 12 safety ground rules. Employees could then spin the wheel to land on one of the sections and be asked a corresponding question. Those who answered correctly were rewarded with prizes. A total of 396 employees in the Riverfront and Nantong sites participated in the competition, demonstrating their commitment to safety and their eagerness to enhance their safety knowledge.
As a result of our continuous cooperation with the Makó, Hungary, city fire brigade,we held a regular emergency practice. The fire brigade conducted a simulation to get a better understanding of our production area and ran a simulation exercise. This emergency simulation exercise directly links to our safety ground rule “I react and know what to do in an emergency”.
In Vernier, the 2024 EHS Days rallied participants from across all functions on site to engage in a challenge to earn maximum points to demonstrate their knowledge of environment, health and safety topics. Knowledge of the safety ground rules is an integral part of the challenges.
EHS principles at the centre
Putting EHS principles at the centre of our daily work and making safety, health, and environmental considerations an integral part of everything we do allows us to drive the sustainable development of our business while caring for our people.
In 2025, we will run a global campaign to reinforce the safety ground rules and we are committed to ensuring that these rules become second nature to every individual within our organisation. Our safety ground rules campaign aims to foster a culture where every employee recognises the importance of safety and actively contributes to maintaining a secure working environment. Instilling a sense of personal ownership and accountability allows us to collectively create a workplace where everyone returns home safely every day.
While we are pleased with our many accomplishments, the tragic incident in Louisville reminds us that we must be vigilant in preparing for the future.
The safety and wellbeing of our employees, visitors and the communities in which we operate is our primary focus. By remaining vigilant in our commitment to safety and by monitoring and improving our practices to ensure the wellbeing of our employees and the communities we serve, we will emerge stronger together.