Building a Culture of Safety Through Conversation At TenCate Protective Fabrics, the health and safety of our employees is a fundamental part of our social sustainability commitment. In an environment where machinery evolves and operational needs shift, safety programs should never be static. Our approach is built around two key pillars: risk assessment and workforce involvement. In 2024, we focused heavily on the latter—actively engaging employees at every level of the organization to help shape a safer workplace.
2024 marked a significant expansion of our safety committee structure. Following an initial rollout in the US, our EU teams established their own Safety Owners program. These committees meet monthly, bringing together a cross-section of employees from each shift to identify risks, review incidents, and recommend improvements.
Discussions are data-driven and action-oriented, and in many cases, result in recommendations for changes that require funding and longer-term planning. This expansion formally marked the launch of our company-wide Safety Observation Program. Although the program existed in previous years, 2024 represented its full adoption. Employees now participate in identifying and reporting three types of observations: safe acts, unsafe acts, and environmental hazards. Each report is submitted through a standardized form, and each plant has specific observation goals.
More than 600 safety observations were collected and reviewed across our global operation in 2024. These were analyzed during safety committee meetings and used to spot trends, elevate critical concerns, and guide immediate or long-term action. The visibility of this information allows leadership to make proactive decisions while reinforcing safety as a shared responsibility.
A key part of the program’s success lies in creating a positive feedback culture. Employees are encouraged to provide peer observations in a way that promotes learning and improvement, rather than judgement or shame. By normalizing these interactions, our teams are building a foundation where safety is seen not as a static collection of rules, but as a collaborative effort.
A safe work environment protects our people and reinforces our ability to produce high-quality protective fabrics. While safety has always been a priority at TenCate Protective Fabrics, the progress made in 2024 reflects our ongoing investment in a safer, people-first manufacturing culture.
