In manufacturing, the foundation of sustainable business success is built from operational excellence, reliability and safety. Throughout my two decades in the industry, I have witnessed firsthand how safety incidents create lasting impacts that extend far beyond the workplace—affecting families, communities and entire organizations. This reality reinforces why safety must be proactively embedded in every aspect of company culture and business strategy through meaningful employee engagement and leadership commitment.
At Trinseo, we continuously improve our safety procedures and processes and engage employees to follow best practices and safe behaviors. As a Responsible Care® company, we not only prioritize the health and safety of our employees and communities, but we also strive to exceed the highest standards of environmental and safety performance. This dedication to Responsible Care® has helped us achieve a total recordable incident rate (TRIR) well below other manufacturing companies, allowing us to maintain a 0.3 TRIR across our global operations in 2024 compared to the industry average of 2.8.1
As we progress toward our 2030 Sustainability Goal of achieving one or more years of zero recordable injuries for employees and contractors globally, we're transforming our strategy to reinforce safe behaviors at all levels in the company.
Building a strong safety foundation
All employers—regardless of industry—have a responsibility to adhere to the highest standards of safety. When safety is a priority throughout the organization, these behaviors remain a focus for everyone, and it encourages employees to carry those practices into their daily work.
The foundation of our safety practices comes from the Trinseo Safe Behaviors— a set of 10 living principles that outline the actions, decisions and mindsets that keep people safe in any work environment. These principles are crucial for developing a robust culture that supports the well-being of our team members as the highest priority. They guide daily decision-making and create consistent safety practices across our global operations, building trust and accountability in our company and empowering our employees to take proactive steps to mitigate risk. Additionally, these behaviors encourage open communication about safety concerns, which leads to quicker resolutions and improved safety protocols.
Engaging employees
While a strong safety culture requires a foundation of sound policies, procedures and expected behaviors, it also requires employee buy-in. When people feel personally connected to safety, they are more likely to speak up, take action and support their colleagues.
That’s why engagement is critical. At Trinseo, one of our engagement tactics is the annual Safe Summer & Beyond campaign, an educational and awareness initiative to promote safe behaviors during the summer months when workplace incidents are at a higher risk to occur. This year’s theme centered on “Spot the Hazard,” addressing key seasonal risks like heat stress and slips, trips, and falls through interactive videos, group discussions and supporting activities. All assets in this campaign were available in the primary languages of our global workforce, supporting employee participation and localized engagement activities. Participation data indicated that the campaign reached an especially high percentage of employees who engaged meaningfully in related quizzes and discussions—a strong signal that our approach is resonating.
By creating space for employees to learn, contribute and adapt safety messages to their own environments, it creates stronger awareness and a deeper sense of shared responsibility. When safety is made relevant and engaging, it becomes more than a requirement—it becomes a mindset.
Ultimately, safety must be a living value: one that adapts, engages and empowers. As leaders, we have a responsibility not only to set expectations but to create the conditions for every employee to embrace safety as part of their everyday thinking and habits. The most resilient organizations are those where safety is owned by all and reinforced by example.
1 Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2023 (latest available, U.S. only)
