As we celebrate Global Safety Week, it’s an ideal time to reflect on how organizations approach safety, not just from a compliance standpoint, but as a cultural pillar that touches all aspects of the workplace. We sat down with two of our safety leaders — Lora Galvin, Head of Health and Safety, and Ashmeet Kaur, Director of Health, Integrated Safety and Quality Assurance — to discuss how ISS fosters a culture of safety, what a “safe workplace” really looks like, and how technology and psychological well-being are shaping how we think about safety at work.
Why is Global Safety Week important?
Lora Galvin
Safety is important every day and it’s everyone’s responsibility. But Global Safety Week gives us a moment to bring it back into focus in a visible and engaging way. People often associate safety with dry statistics or only hearing about what goes wrong — this week gives us a chance to highlight what we do correctly and even have some fun in the process.
Safety is more than just the physical, it’s about psychological safety too. We’re launching a social campaign where employees tag others and share how they work to create safe spaces. It’s a bit like the Ice Bucket Challenge, but for promoting safety in workplace culture.
How does ISS stay up to date with regulations and build a culture of safety?
Lora Galvin
One way by subscribing to regulatory trackers. In North America, we use STP Compliance, but we’re moving toward a global system. These tools track both proposed and passed legislation, and they include impact assessments to help us prepare for whatever comes our way. We also stay sharp by attending industry events, participating in professional networking opportunities and incorporating learnings from both our clients and our own teams.
Ashmeet Kaur
The characteristics of a strong safety culture are a lot like a strong workplace culture more broadly. It all starts with leaders who are open to feedback, employees who feel safe speaking up and an across-the-board sense of accountability. Safety culture thrives in environments where people are curious, where feedback creates action and where communication is clear and consistent.
Has psychological safety become more of a consideration in recent years?
Ashmeet Kaur
Since Lora and I joined ISS, we’ve made it a point to emphasize psychological safety in our programs. I make sure to carve out time at every site visit to talk about it. We have to make sure people know their voices matter. If you’re afraid to ask questions or raise concerns, then you haven’t really created a safe environment.
Lora Galvin
Over the past 10 years, and especially the last three or four years, we’ve seen a major shift. Safety used to mean just physical protection, but if employees don’t feel mentally and emotionally safe, they won’t speak up when something’s wrong and that silence can be dangerous, especially in high-risk environments.
Ashmeet Kaur
Definitely. There’s a growing understanding that diversity — of thought, background, identity — plays a role in safety, as well. When people feel like they belong, they’re more likely to be themselves and share openly. That sense of belonging is critical to both the psychological well-being of employees and the health of an organization.
What role is technology playing in keeping people safe at work?
Lora Galvin
The role of technology is huge — and growing. We’re seeing a lot of wearables used for ergonomics, sensors and AI used for real-time monitoring of high-risk activities, as well as predictive analytics that flag recurring unsafe conditions before they cause harm. We’re also upgrading our incident tracking system to include AI that can provide recommendations on where to focus our prevention efforts.
Ashmeet Kaur
On the food safety side, we’re planning to launch a digital temperature monitoring system that will allow us to trace the life cycle of every food product that enters our spaces from receiving through service, capturing allergen data, time and temperature logs, and even alert us the moment a cooler goes out through radio frequency sensors. By automatically capturing the malfunction and alerting our team, we’re not waiting until the next shift to discover the problem. This also allows us to be environmentally responsible, as there’s a food waste component, as well. In those situations, we can retrieve our products before they spoil while also repairing the issue.
How does effective communication factor into workplace safety?
Lora Galvin
Communication is everything. If an employee doesn’t understand instructions because of a language barrier, for example, that’s a safety issue. We’re seeing real progress with instant translation tools, which help both supervisors and placemakers understand each other clearly in real time. The advancements in this kind of technology in recent years have been incredible — it’s like we’re heading toward a Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy-level of universal and instantaneous language comprehension.
Ashmeet Kaur
Absolutely, I’ve personally used translation features during trainings where a large portion of the audience mostly spoke Spanish. It was a gamechanger in terms of engagement and clarity. Even if it’s only 90 or 95% accurate at this point, that still makes a huge difference in increasing understanding and, ultimately, safety as a result.
In honor of Global Safety Week, do you have any advice you’d give on staying safe in the workplace?
Lora Galvin
Stay curious and never be afraid to speak up. Whether you’re new to a job or just unsure about a task, it’s always a good thing to ask questions. Safety begins with awareness, and we need people to trust their instincts when something doesn’t feel right.
Ashmeet Kaur
Adding to that, an individual’s input matters and is valuable. Everyone’s perspective and expertise are like a puzzle piece — if you stay silent, the puzzle can’t be completed because something important is missing. We need everyone’s contributions to create a truly safe and collaborative environment.
