Winner's story: Yeremy Riquelme

Yeremy shared a story reflecting on how the strong commitment to safety at Smiths has shaped both professional journey and his life beyond work. In his entry, he shares how the safety pillar is not just a principle, but something reflected in everyday decisions and actions across Smiths.

My name is Yeremy Riquelme, and I currently work in the services division at John Crane Chile, where I oversee a reliability contract. Previously, I worked for six years as a QHSE leader at the same site.

I joined Smiths in 2019, and from day one, one thing stood out to me: the strong commitment to safety. It wasn’t just talk; it was evident in every decision and every action. That approach became an essential part of my daily life and today, working in a different area of the company, it’s even more apparent to me.

Over time, one of the greatest challenges we’ve faced as an organisation and as individuals arrived: the COVID-19 pandemic. From one moment to the next, the way we work and interact changed completely. We learned to adapt to not see each other in person, to maintain physical distance, but, at the same time, to seek new ways to stay connected. It was a period where prevention became a priority, without neglecting the human need for connection.

In that context, we began meeting weekly with HSE leaders from across the Latin America region. These meetings became key opportunities to share information, understand the reality of each country, and, above all, learn from the best practices that were emerging to address the uncertainty and this global challenge.

At the same time, I continued to live with my family: my mom, my siblings, and other close relatives. Without even realizing it, I began to apply what I had learned in those meetings to my personal life. First, I shared information; then, I invited some of them to participate as listeners. In this way, they not only learned about what was happening in other countries but also adopted habits and preventive measures that made a real difference in their daily lives.

It was at that moment that I understood something much deeper: the culture at Smiths, and in particular its safety pillar, had completely transcended the workplace. It had crossed the boundary between work and personal life, directly impacting the people who matter most to me.

For me, that is what truly defines a great company: not just what it does within its operations, but the impact it generates beyond them. A culture that doesn’t stay in the office, but is lived, shared, and transformed into habits that care for people in every aspect of their lives.

Because in the end, what we learn at work becomes even more valuable when we’re able to take it home.