RoSPA and L’Oréal have partnered to successfully launch their Leading Safely for Women programme ahead of International Women’s Day (March 8 2022). The programme is designed to empower women working in health and safety.

The free programme, which forms part of RoSPA and L’Oréal’s innovative Safe@Work-Safe@Home partnership, has a shared vision to support women, an underrepresented group in health and safety, to become more ‘visible’ and better ‘connected’. Its goal is to help women already in the profession to progress, or to support those interested in developing a career in the health and safety sector.

The initiative consists of a series of one-day courses for women from across the globe. The thought-provoking content is designed to inspire delegates to realise their full potential by reflecting on where they are now, where they aspire to be and how to develop a health and safety strategy which aligns with business values, along with how to reach and exceed personal and business objectives.

Following the course, attendees will be supported by a mentor, and encouraged to feel confident in choosing health and safety as a career option. The courses are fully funded by the Safe@Work-Safe@Home partnership and attendees commit to a day of training, joining the mentoring programme and writing about their journey.

At the recent RoSPA ‘You are good enough’ webinar, the energy and enthusiasm of the truly international panel was plain to see. The panel consisted of: Severine Convenant, Corporate Health and Safety Manager at L’Oréal; Dr Jwan Kamla, Senior Safety, Risk and Operations Consultant at Atkins; Daniele Paulino, Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator at Tetra Pak; and Lauren Crawley, Health, Safety and Biosafety Advisor at Oxford Biomedica, all offering perspectives from the UK, France and Brazil. One of the key benefits of the programme is its global reach, with geographical location not being a barrier to taking part.

Malcolm Staves, L’Oréal’s Global Vice President, Health and Safety, confirmed that the partnership with RoSPA has been a game-changer both for its Safe@Work-Safe@Home initiative and the recent launch of this Leading Safely for Women programme. Malcolm said: “We are very proud of what we are starting to achieve with RoSPA, with the support of Hosking Associates, with this pioneering training. The first training was a great success and the attendees have now entered into an exciting coaching/mentoring phase.

“Diversity and inclusion are part of our DNA in L’Oréal and we are convinced that better diversity will result in better decision-making which, in the health and safety profession, will mean we could save more lives and reduce injuries. It just makes sense.”