So, if safety is a core value in our company’s culture, we should see this reflected in all our activities – not only in our plants. “Since 2024 we have actively shifted our focus in Sales towards safety and started making it an integral part. Before, we often thought that it is a matter of production: that it is only there where we can find the big risks. At least that is what we thought until we entered the Construction Services business. With a new focus on the hazards connected to construction sites our focus generally sharpened. We noticed that not only fall hazards may put peoples lifes at stake but also the most normal things - like driving. So step by step we identified topics where we can improve safety for our sales colleagues,” says Thomas Bois, COO of the Xella Group.

Safe on the road: driver trainings for sales teams

Our sales colleagues cover thousands of kilometers each year. To ensure their safety while traveling, our teams in Italy and France recently held advanced driver safety trainings. These sessions focused on handling critical driving situations and promoting mindfulness behind the steering wheel.
“We're sending everyone with a commercial vehicle to a road risk prevention course at an approved centre,” says Yann Place, Head of Country Health & Safety in France. “We’re also exploring a recurring training scheme every three to five years, along with e-learning courses in cooperation with the service provider Ornikar.”
France is also hosting special road safety workshops during safety days, featuring simulations of car rollovers and exercises using impairment goggles to demonstrate the effects of fatigue, drugs, and alcohol on driving performance. Similar initiatives are planned in South-East Europe (SEE) later this year.

Strengthening our culture: sales team safety workshop in SEE

A safety workshop held in Belgrade for sales colleagues from the Xella Alpe Adria region underlined the approach of an overarching safety mindset. Through an inspiring workshop, not only knowledge was shared, but moreover peoples hearts and minds were won making it easy for them to take over their role in an proactive approach towards incidents.
Dragan Lazic, CEO SEE, not only opened the workshop with a strong message: safety is a core value at Xella. He also actively joined big part of the workshop:
“It is important for me that my colleagues know what I am standing for when it comes to safety and I want them to do the same. Our people, their dedication, and their safety are the foundation of Xella’s sustainable growth,” he emphasized.
The highlight of the event was the interactive incident investigation session involving real actors. The actors took over different roles with very own perceptions and challenged our leaders understanding of how to learn from incidents and prevent future ones. The focus: building trust, improving awareness, and continuously raising the bar for workplace safety.

A shared vision

At Xella, safety is more than a set of rules – it’s a way of thinking and working. Whether on the production floor, at a desk, on the road, or a construction site our goal is always the same: a workplace where everyone feels safe and supported.
We remain committed to our vision: Safe Work. Safe Life. With continuous training, local owner- and leadership, and a long-term strategy aimed at zero harm, we are shaping a culture where safety truly comes first – anytime and everywhere.