"Safety is a value, not a product."

Bart Kelderman, Founder of In-Tense

We asked Bart Kelderman what the key enablers are for sustaining a long-term, meaningful transformation in HSE culture. His response was both clear and compelling: “Leaders must walk the talk — be visible, engage with the frontline, and most importantly: listen to the concerns of those who bear the risks.

Investing in people is crucial. Safety should never be treated as a product, but as a core value. Always ensure your operational baseline is intact. If it’s not, working on safety behaviors and leadership won’t have any real impact. Foster a learning culture — never a culture of blame. An incident is bad enough; failing to learn from it is worse. Be crystal clear about the unsafe behaviors you will not tolerate.

Understand that building a safety culture is a continuous journey. It’s not a switch you can simply flip. And never make safety part of cost-cutting measures. That sends the wrong message to those who face daily risks.” When these elements are in place, you have the foundation for a true culture of care — one where workers return home safely to their loved ones, every day of the week.