Case study | Health and safety

Danone Wexford

Building a global safety leader through cultural change

Client overview

Business type

Global food and drink manufacturer

Locations

Wexford, Ireland

Key outcomes

Workforce engagement increased by 80%
Lost time incidents reduced by 50%
Global Safety Audit scores increased by 83% within the Danone Group

The challenge

Danone Wexford is an independent manufacturing site within the Danone Global Group, a world-leading food and drink company operating across Essential Dairy and Plant-Based Products, Specialised Nutrition, and Waters. The Wexford facility plays a critical role within Danone’s global manufacturing network and operates to rigorous safety and quality standards.

Despite established safety systems and resources, Danone Wexford continued to experience accidents, incidents, and unsafe behaviours on the factory floor. Senior leadership recognised a clear disconnect between formal safety processes and operators' lived experience. The issue was not compliance, but culture, and a targeted approach was needed to bridge the gap between management intent and operational reality.

Dr. Paul Cummins, PhD.
CEO of SeaChange, an NFP company

The solution

SeaChange, an NFP company, designed and delivered a structured safety culture programme focused on behaviour, ownership and accountability.

Safety Culture Footprint workshops provided insight into prevailing attitudes, behavioural risks, and barriers to ownership, after which two complementary systems were introduced:

Risk Awareness System
Visual Job Safety Awareness (JSA©) tools were developed for local areas across the factory, helping to animate risk, hazards, and controls while reinforcing key safety standards through practical, visual training.
Safety Ownership System
Local Safety Action Teams (SAT©) were established across factory zones, involving operators, team leaders, and frontline managers. These teams identified risk priorities, tracked actions through interactive SAT displays, and strengthened local accountability across shifts.

The results

For their business

Improved safety performance

Lost time incidents reduced by 50%, supporting safer, more reliable operations.

Stronger audit outcomes

Global Safety Audit scores increased by 83% within the Danone Group.

A proactive safety culture

The site moved from reactive incident management to an ownership-led approach to risk.

For their people

Higher workforce engagement

Employee engagement increased by 80% as teams became actively involved in managing safety.

Empowered operators

Visual systems and local teams enabled employees to influence safety outcomes directly.

Consistent leadership behaviours

Frontline managers led safety more confidently and consistently across shifts.

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