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Bridging Occupational Safety Across Borders

Hosted by: Phil Dillard

This episode features interviews with experts Alizabeth Aramowicz Smith, Senior EHS Consultant at Antea Group USA; Bruno Zapata, Senior EHS Consultant at Tonkin + Taylor; and Sofiane Kessouar, Senior EHS Consultant at Baden Consulting, Switzerland. Together, they discuss the multifaceted landscape of occupational health, spanning regions and industries. They dive into global differences, the influence of local cultures on safety structures, and innovative solutions to mitigate workplace risks today. They emphasize the importance of fostering a strong safety culture, continuous learning, and proactive strategies to foster safer workplaces for all. Workplace safety isn’t just a priority, it's a fundamental requirement. As occupational risks evolve, how can we ensure that our safety practices not only comply with regulatory requirements but also cultivate a safety culture across industries?
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Alizabeth Aramowicz Smith

Alizabeth Aramowicz Smith

Antea Group - USA

Alizabeth is an Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Consultant with more than 25 years of experience. She works primarily with global technology companies, retailers, specialty chemical manufactures, distribution centers, life science corporations, garment manufacturers, paper industry, colleges and universities, and research and development laboratories for the automotive industries. Alizabeth specializes in global EHS compliance management systems development; EHS policy analysis; international EHS compliance inspections and results trend analysis; EHS training development and presentation; and management and coordination of all aspects of environmental compliance projects for corporate and regional leaders. She is part of the development teams for Antea Group’s solutions of the Global RegSupport Helpdesk and the EHS Flex gap analysis. She is the company’s Service Line Leader for Global Operations Support and serves on the company’s Technology Segment Team.

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Bruno Zapata

Bruno Zapata

Tonkin + Taylor - New Zealand

Bruno is a dedicated EHS professional with over a decade of experience in identifying physical and psychological hazards, implementing robust safety programs, and evaluating safety performance to protect individuals and organizations alike.

For Bruno, EHS is about empowering others to create thriving environments where safety and wellbeing are integral to the work culture. It's not just about policies and procedures; it's about fostering engagement at all levels, from leadership to the frontline, to build a positive safety culture that endures.

This journey is a constant learning curve, with each day bringing new challenges and reinforcing that people are the heart of safety. 

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Sofiane Kessouar

Sofiane Kessouar

Baden Consulting - Switzerland

Sofiane Kessouar Senior EHS Consultant based in Switzerland, working for Baden Consulting. He has over 15 years of expertise in ergonomics, global EHS and lean manufacturing, and an extensive career in the various activities of medical device companies. He has also performed Internal Audits, Industrial Hygiene, Ergonomics assessment in many well-known multinational companies.

“Some companies want to quickly resolve a case, or they want to quickly close something, but you need to use that as an opportunity. You need to engage with the stakeholders and you need to try to understand, “Okay, what is actually the root cause of this event, so I can prevent this?” - Bruno Zapata 

 

“I think we're in a continual state of learning, and humans and the workplace are constantly evolving. As we change and evolve, the risks are changing and evolving too.” - Alizabeth Aramowicz Smith

 

“So, the local perspective serves to underline the fact that the corporate culture does not automatically apply in a standard way in all locations. And that integration needs to be achieved by means of employees on the ground or local consultants who can analyze the specific needs on site and then remedy these problems in an appropriate way.”  - Sofiane Kessouar

 

Time Stamps

*(00:00) Episode Start

*(00:09) Defining occupational health: US vs. global perspectives

*(07:52) Impact of regulations

*(11:25) Workplace cultural influences on safety practices

*(14:48) Challenges of prescriptive regulations

*(24:00) Learning from near misses

*(28:26) How occupational health efforts differ across industries

*(43:32) Advice to occupational health leaders

*(46:34) Sofiane Kessouar on COVID-19’s impact on work habits

*(49:21) Evolution of workplace culture in Europe

*(50:04) Phil’s takeaways

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