From Compliance to Culture: Don Bezek on Leading Global Safety with a People-First Mindset

Don Bezek, Director of Global Health and Safety at Griffith Foods, shares his core philosophy that safety is ultimately about serving and protecting people, a principle embodied in his company's motto, "Nothing you do here will be as important as going home to your family and loved ones".Don discusses how Lean principles can be powerfully applied to health and safety, viewing injuries as the ultimate form of waste. He explains how tools like Kaizen events, tiered meetings, and root cause analysis help engage employees and create a safer work environment. A key theme is the importance of closing the communication loop with employees; Don details how Griffith Foods implemented a multilingual, QR-code-based system with their partner, Origami Risk, to make it easy for employees to report concerns and see tangible results. The conversation also explores the unique cultural nuances of managing safety on a global scale, the specific challenges of the food industry, and Don’s advice for aspiring HSE professionals. Takeaways:Make Your People-First Philosophy Visible. A core principle of a strong safety culture is visibly and consistently communicating that people are the top priority. An effective way to do this is to post a clear, simple message at every plant entrance, such as, "Nothing you do here will be as important as going home to your family and loved ones". This constantly reinforces the company's values.Create an Easy and Closed-Loop Reporting System. Employees will tell you how to improve your factory if you make it easy for them to speak up and prove that you're listening. Implement a simple reporting tool, like a QR code posted in work cells, that allows any employee to quickly report unsafe conditions or positive behaviors. Crucially, you must follow up on these submissions and communicate the actions taken, thereby closing the loop and preventing "empty promises".Integrate Lean Principles Directly into Safety. Frame safety improvements through the lens of lean manufacturing by treating employee injuries as the ultimate form of waste. Use lean methodologies like Kaizen events to make incremental improvements and root cause analysis to find permanent "hundred-year" fixes instead of just retraining or counseling an employee.Incentivize Proactive Engagement, Not Just a Lack of Incidents. Shift your culture from being reactive to proactive by changing how you measure daily success. Instead of defining a "good day" as one with no incidents, require teams to also submit a proactive report—like an unsafe condition or a positive safety observation—to be considered "green" for the day. This actively encourages employees to look for opportunities to improve.Measure Culture with a Safety Perception Survey. Go beyond compliance audits to understand the "touchy-feely" aspects of your safety culture. Implement a brief, accessible survey (e.g., via QR code) that asks questions about leadership, communication, and employee feelings about safety. Use the results to create a "Start, Stop, Continue" action plan unique to each facility, addressing weaknesses and reinforcing strengths.Prioritize Soft Skills and Mentorship for Leaders. In today's world, technical safety answers can be found quickly, but influencing people requires strong soft skills. Focus professional development on areas like servant leadership, communication, and time management. Additionally, seek out two mentors: one who is a safety expert and another from a different department who can help you navigate your company's unique internal culture.Quote of the Show: “People will engage if they’re being heard.” Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donbezek/ Website: https://griffithfoods.com/