Saint-gobain France Focuses on Safety, Trust, and Teamwork

Around 36,000 people in France work with Saint-Gobain, a leading construction company. Because of the variety of jobs – in factories, stores, research centers, and offices – working conditions are very different. Régis Blugeon, head of HR and Social Affairs, says this variety creates challenges. Saint-Gobain wants to address these challenges by focusing on trust, commitment, and teamwork.

“Our managers, teams, and social partners all agree on how significant safety and health are,” explains Régis Blugeon. “They regularly bring these topics up during discussions.”

Two Programs to Improve Workplace Health and Safety

But what does this mean for employees every day? “We use two phrases to show our commitment to safety and health: ‘I watch over you’ and ‘I take care of me’,” says Régis Blugeon. “These phrases represent two programs that work together.”

The first program focuses on safety, especially in factories where materials like glass are made and in stores where these materials are handled by both employees and construction professionals. “We want to make sure our employees are safe from the moment they leave home in the morning until they return in the evening,” says Régis Blugeon. This includes taking steps to prevent accidents – like making sure machines and people don’t collide, and providing safety gear like shoes, gloves, glasses, and helmets.It also means employees look out for each othre, which is what “I watch over you” is all about. “In our factories and stores, the rule is to…”