Safety Heroes - the Health, Safety, and Environment Podcast Mousa Yassin

This week, Mousa Yassin talks with Esil Mertoglu, Senior EHS Manager at Adient, and explores her journey as an environmental health and safety leader. Esil's extensive experience spanning over 18 years in multinational manufacturing companies reflects her profound passion for advocating safety as well as championing diversity and inclusive initiatives, especially around women's rights. As a dedicated leader, Esil shares her insights on shaping strong leadership within the HSE community, emphasising the importance of leading with purpose and empowering individuals.
We get to dive into Esil's career trajectory, uncovering pivotal moments that shaped her commitment to safety and the transformative changes she witnessed in the HSE domain over the years.
Esil discusses the evolving landscape of health and safety, highlighting the shift towards a zero harm culture and the emphasis on proactive risk prevention and employee engagement.
It also goes into the challenges faced by safety leaders in fostering a culture of care and effective communication to ensure employees' well-being and safety remain at the forefront of organisational priorities.
Esil talks about the crucial role of leadership in integrating digital tools and technologies to enhance safety processes and drive continuous improvement, as well as underscores the importance of diversity and inclusion in safety practices, emphasising the need for inclusive approaches that engage all stakeholders and promote equity within the workplace.
This episode encapsulates Esil's aspiration to influence organisational change, empower individuals, and foster a culture of safety and inclusivity in the pursuit of a safer and more sustainable future.

Follow Esil's journey on Linkedin.
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For more resources and updates, find us on LinkedIn
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In this episode, we dive into the multifaceted world of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) with guest, Claus Rose, Senior Executive, EHS Separation Management Officer at GE Vernova.
With over three decades of groundbreaking work, from his early days in the armed forces to leading initiatives in renewable energy, Claus shares his journey into becoming a visionary in the EHS realm. 
His work in spearheading the Global Wind Organisation and transforming safety practices showcases his deep commitment to advancing the field.\
Claus underscores the vital importance of diversity of experience in EHS, the transformative power of learning from incidents, and the pivotal role of empathy in leadership. 
He also emphasises how hands-on experience and understanding front-line challenges not only build trust between leadership and operational staff but also drive more effective safety cultures.
Claus advocates for simplifying safety procedures to prevent mistakes too, highlighting that complexity can be an adversary to safety and articulates the significance of collaboration within the industry on safety standards, as demonstrated through his involvement in the Global Wind Organisation. 
This collective approach to safety, leveraging shared knowledge and practices, underpins the advancement of safer working environments across sectors. The conversation illuminates the essence of continuous improvement, innovation in EHS, and the empowerment of front-line decision-making as key levers for enhancing safety and sustainability in organisations.

Connect with Claus on Linkedin.
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For more resources and updates, find us on LinkedIn
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In this episode, host Mousa Yassin engages in an insightful conversation with Davide Scotti, Corporate Head of HSE Culture, Communication & Training at Saipem.
Davide shares his journey from his early career beginnings in the oil and gas industry to becoming a pivotal figure in health and safety culture, within his organisation but also across Italy. 
Working for Saipem for over 18 years, he has been instrumental in evolving their safety culture through innovative programs that blend emotional engagement with effective leadership training, making Saipem a model for safety performance in the industry. 
Davide delves into the intricacies of the Leadership and Safety Program he helped develop, which is recognized for its unique approach to cultivating a mature safety culture within organisations. This program, marked by its strategic workshops and training sessions, emphasises emotional intelligence and behavioural change, aiming to transform organisational leaders into safety champions. 
Davide's passion extends beyond corporate borders as he discusses the influence of safety practices on broader societal well-being, underscoring the universal applicability of emotional and behavioural cues in safety leadership across different cultures. 
The episode wraps up with Davide reflecting on the global impact of safety leadership and offering valuable insights for leaders aspiring to integrate health and safety values into their management approach. He encourages embracing intrinsic values alongside extrinsic motivations, fostering a culture of trust and collaboration that transcends workplace boundaries to influence societal safety norms. 
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For more resources and updates, find us on LinkedIn
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Today we have Gokhan Yildiz, Managing Director of DSSD Consultants and we learn about his remarkable transition from a long tenure at Shell, a global giant where he was recognised for his innovative approach, to embracing the dynamic and uncertain world of startups and eventually founding his safety and sustainability consultancy.
Throughout his journey, Gokhan emphasises the importance of continuous learning and the value of stepping out of the comfort zone. His executive education at Harvard Business School heralded a pivotal shift, particularly in appreciating the potential of AI and digital transformation to enhance safety and operational efficiency.
Gokhan's story brings a plethora of insights into the inner workings of health and safety leadership, and leadership as a whole, suggesting that nurturing leadership skills could be a transformative step for professionals in the field;
but also covers some fascinating concepts and programs such as the Hearts and Minds program and the 5 steps of organisational maturity.
And how immersive technologies can engage employees more effectively than traditional methods, marking a significant shift towards adopting new tools for better compliance and safety outcomes. His experience implies a broader application and necessity for innovation in safety training within various industries.
Dive in,
you are in for a treat.

To follow Gokhan's journey, you can find him on LinkedIn.
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If you like this podcast episode make sure to give it a follow to not miss upcoming episodes.
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For more resources and updates, find us on LinkedIn
And connect with our host Mousa Yassin.

This conversation with Thomas Burgdorff from Uniper offers a comprehensive look into the multifaceted world of HSSE. 
Thomas articulates the safety function as inherently people-oriented, focused not just on ensuring one's own safety but on monitoring and supporting others to make safe choices. His emphasis on the importance of selflessness, risk awareness, and the capacity to make a positive impact aligns with broader discussions on the value of safety within organisational structures, countering perceptions of safety as merely a cost centre. 
The dialogue also unfolds around the importance of creating a culture of sharing within companies, where shared experiences and practices contribute to collective learning and improvement; initiatives like the 'care moment project' and systematic sharing of good practices across Uniper, as an example, are aimed at developing a proactive, caring culture that transcends mere compliance with safety regulations. The conversation then goes on to the idea of integrating exchange and collaboration both within and beyond company boundaries, illustrating a broader vision of safety management as a collaborative, evolving field. 
This episode with Thomas Burgdorff presents a nuanced exploration of the health and safety space, highlighting the critical role of diverse experiences, a caring approach, and the importance of continuous learning, sharing, and collaboration.
The discussion offers valuable takeaways for professionals across industries, reinforcing the idea that health and safety are not just regulatory obligations but integral to the well-being of workers and the long-term success of organisations.

To follow Thomas' journey, find him on LinkedIn.
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If you like this podcast episode make sure to give it a follow to not miss upcoming episodes.
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For more resources and updates, find us on LinkedIn
And connect with our host Mousa Yassin.

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.

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!”

To follow Maite's journey, find her on LinkedIn.
Send us a message!
If you like this podcast episode make sure to give it a follow to not miss upcoming episodes.
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For more resources and updates, find us on LinkedIn
And connect with our host Mousa Yassin.