Case study | Health and safety

Primark

Driving global safety culture through innovative auditing

Client overview

Business type

Global clothes retailer

Locations

400+ stores in 14 countries

Key outcomes

Annual audits consistently applied across all sites worldwide.
Site leaders empowered to take ownership of safety improvements.
Positive, accountable safety culture embedded throughout the organisation.

The challenge

Primark is one of the world’s leading international retailers, offering fashion, beauty, and homeware across more than 400 stores in 14 countries. Founded in Dublin in 1969 under the name Penneys, the company has grown into a global brand with safety and well-being at the heart of its operations.

As part of its global 'Safe Today. Safe Tomorrow' strategy, Primark wanted to build a best-in-class approach to workplace health and safety that exceeded mere compliance. Traditional audits focused on regulatory checks, failing to provide insights into the cultural and behavioural aspects of safety—such as leadership, awareness, and colleague engagement—that are vital to achieving long-term improvements.

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

The solution

Primark partnered with SeaChange, an NFP company, to develop an innovative EHS audit approach that measures both safety systems and culture.

Comprehensive, tailored auditing
The annual audit is conducted across all stores, depots and offices, offering a consistent yet site-specific assessment. By capturing leadership behaviours, employee engagement, cultural maturity and compliance, the audit provides a complete picture of each site’s safety performance.
Linking results to culture
Audit outcomes are directly aligned with Primark’s cultural roadmap, enabling site leaders to take ownership of improvements, benchmark progress year on year, and embed accountability and engagement into daily operations.

The results

For their business

Global consistency

Annual EHS audits are applied consistently across 400+ stores in 14 countries.

Cultural integration

Results inform the company’s safety culture roadmap, embedding accountability and leadership at site level.

Proactive risk management

Site leaders now act on insights to strengthen safety, protecting both colleagues and customers.

For their people

Empowered employees

Employees are actively involved in safety improvements, giving them ownership of local practices.

Increased engagement

Visual tools and cultural insights encourage staff to understand and influence safety behaviours.

Safer, inclusive workplaces

Employees experience safer environments and a stronger culture of accountability and support.

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