CBRE: “The Purpose of Safety is People”

Despite a more than 20% increase in company revenue, CBRE continued to improve its safety record in 2015, including a top-tier 0.72 total recordable injury rate for the year. This success points to our ability to attract and retain more than 240 of the highest quality Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) professionals.

One of the key factors for this success is a word I like to use, and that’s “purposeful.” Our approach is to empower our people to make intelligent programming choices based on the client’s needs, while at the same time adhering to a set of consistent, globally integrated practices and procedures that reinforce CBRE’s absolute standards of health and safety. If it’s a best business practice, CBRE will bring it to you – and in a purposeful fashion that is easily consumed and economically appropriate for the regional market.

Moreover, our professionals know we are making the best possible resources available to them, and that builds trust in the company’s policies. In 2015, we made a significant investment in a leading online management system that will make reporting, as well as documentation, resources and sharing, immediately available to our professionals in real time, anywhere in the world.

We also continued to invest aggressively in health, safety and environment training. Our progressive adoption of RedVector®, the leading provider of online education and training, has driven consistency across the globe, with key courses identified for translation into different regional languages.

Importantly, in 2015 a dedicated HSE steering committee was established, comprised of 14 of the company’s senior leaders, including an executive sponsor. This increased level of engagement has already produced significant safety awareness dividends, with leadership in different business lines and geographical regions making a coordinated commitment to building greater advantage for clients through CBRE’s health and safety practices.

With growing knowledge comes the need to further develop communications that provide a common platform for adopting best practices to specific regions and industry types. The birth of our HSE Connect newsletter has provided an essential means for communicating this information to a wider, rapidly evolving global workforce.

Even though we have made significant strides in 2015, our goal is to continue driving toward an aspirational goal of zero injuries − and to building the trust that builds greater advantage for employees, contractors, clients and the public.

James C. Lime, Vice President, Health, Safety & Environment

Learn more in CBRE’s 2015 Corporate Responsibility Report.