National Safety Month: SEPTON Site Strengthens Safety Culture Through KuraSafe

For Erin Hance, Senior Health, Safety, Environment, & Security Specialist at Kuraray America, Inc.'s SEPTON site, safety culture comes down to a clear standard:

“If something isn’t safe, we stop and address it, no exceptions.”

As part of #NationalSafetyMonth, Erin is sharing how SEPTON is continuing to strengthen its safety culture through KuraSafe, with a focus on creating more structure, consistency and employee ownership across the site.

Building on Strengths
With 12 years without a recordable injury, SEPTON is building on a strong safety foundation. Through KuraSafe, the site is focused on sustaining that high standard while continuing to guard against complacency.

The SEPTON team relies on the strength of its experienced workforce while taking a more intentional approach to safety engagement. Through the First Impression Analysis (FIA) process, SEPTON identified opportunities to strengthen consistency across the site and continue supporting employees in recognizing hazards, reporting concerns, and speaking up.

One key takeaway from the FIA was the role frontline leadership plays in helping safety expectations stay clear, visible and consistent. Another was the opportunity to move from a more organic safety culture to one that is more structured and sustainable across all functions.

Actions in Progress 
SEPTON’s Safety Culture Improvement Team (SCIT) is helping support that progress. To promote openness and integrity within the process, the team is employee-led, with employees from different departments participating to bring a wider range of perspectives.

Current efforts include:
✅ Reinforcing employee Stop Work Authority
✅ Supporting feedback through SCIT participation and safety discussions
✅ Using digital tools such as electronic permitting, digitalized permit auditing, QR code-based safety suggestions and future electronic operations and maintenance rounds

Looking ahead, SEPTON will continue building consistency in employee engagement, leadership interaction, and proactive hazard recognition. As KuraSafe evolves, the goal is to keep safety expectations clear, sustainable and supported by the people closest to the work.