As part of June's National Safety Month, we’re sharing a series of posts highlighting our regional safety leads and their work promoting and advancing safety across Fluence’s operations.
Leading Safety & Quality in Fluence's Americas Region
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Richard Stephen is Fluence’s regional safety and quality (S&Q) manager for the Americas region. In his role, he actively works with our S&Q and project management teams to developed safety and quality programs. Additionally, he oversees and supports implementation and compliance on megaprojects like sPower’s 100 MW Luna Storage, among others. His past work experience includes safety management oversight and successful completion of construction and commissioning of large scale projects worldwide, along with operational support in clean and traditional energy sectors, such as wind, hydropower, gas, coal and nuclear.
What is your favorite part of your job in safety? What do you particularly like about your work?
The most rewarding part for me is being on a team that puts safety first in everything we do. I’m also very fortunate to work with people, from top executives to interns, who truly value safety and strive for excellence.
How is Fluence's approach to safety different from other approaches you may have seen?
One aspect that sets Fluence apart is our “Stop Work Authority” policy, where anyone – whether a Fluence employee or a contractor – can call to cease work immediately to address a safety concern. Our senior leadership has drilled this into our culture, with the expectation that it is everyone’s obligation, while also emphasizing that there is never retaliation for safety work stoppages.
Why is safety important to you?
In work as in life, there are risks. Ensuring we have established safe work practices that, if followed correctly, can eliminate foreseeable risks, allowing every one of us goes home every day to our family and friends, safe and healthy.
How did you get started in a career in safety?
Prior to working at Fluence and AES in various safety management roles, I was a construction supervisor with a major EPC firm, where our crews prided themselves on doing things the right way – the safe way. While working on a power project, I was approached by our corporate safety manager who asked if I had ever thought about going into a career in safety. I told him I was interested in the opportunity.
After several months of attending safety training courses and obtaining various health and safety certifications, I was offered a full-time safety supervisor position with the company. This opportunity culminated in a long-term assignment at the U.S. Department of Energy where I worked in an on-the-job training environment covering just about every facet of health, safety and environmental management.
Working in safety turned out to be my true occupational calling – to support and help others in mitigating risk by developing and implementing safe work procedures and coaching and mentoring personnel in safe work behaviors.
More Safety Features
- Post 1: Richard Stephen, Americas
- Post 2: Fermida De Leon, APAC
- Post 3: Ekaterina Potemkina, EMEA