ASSP Safety 2020 Virtual: Creating a Safety Culture with Diversity & Inclusion in Mind

Session speakers Lindsay Bell, Regional Health and Safety Manager at Solvay, and Abby Ferri, Co-Founder of Safety Justice League broke down not only what it means to be inclusive, but how to take safety issues and turn them into action items with the help of diverse employee voices who want to see change in the workplace.

First, Bell discussed what the words diversity, equality and inclusion mean. Though these words are normally lumped together, they do not share similar definitions and connotations. Diversity can be defined as, “Everyone is individual and different,” while equality can be defined as, “Everyone has equal access to opportunities.”

Inclusion however, is an all-encompassing word that Bell defined as, “a sense of belonging: feeling respected, valued for who you are; feeling a level of supportive energy and commitment from others so that you can do your best at work.”

“Inclusivity should be your goal,” Bell said. “You want your team to feel like they belong, like they are valued and that they are respected.”