World Day for Safety and Health: A Look Into Gildan

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 26, 2024 / Gildan Activewear:

Q&A with Mike Albright, Vice-President of Health & Safety and Human Resources Manufacturing and Esther Hackett, Vice-President of Human Resources

With approximately 45,000 employees around the world and the majority of them working in facilities, Gildan understands its responsibility in fostering an environment where employees feel safe coming to work. From implementing workplace safety practices guided by its Global Health and Safety Policy, to providing healthcare support beyond work through on-site clinics, health fairs, free medical consultations, and mental health services, the Company is committed to ensuring the holistic well-being of its employees.

In honor of the United Nation's World Day for Safety and Health at Work, we sat down with Mike Albright, Vice-President of Health & Safety and Human Resources Manufacturing, and Esther Hackett, Vice-President of Human Resources, to learn more about the Company's longstanding commitment to Health & Safety (H&S) and how it has become an essential part of the Company's culture.

Can you tell us about Gildan's commitment to Health and Safety?

Mike: Guided by our vision of Making Apparel Better, Gildan is committed to improving both the quality of apparel it makes and the way in which it produces it; and it's all thanks to our incredible people who manage our manufacturing process from start to finish. Our employees are fundamental to our success, and providing them with safe working conditions, where they may work comfortably and to their full potential, is an important priority for us.

In fact, one of our values is that "we operate responsibly," so embracing a culture of H&S is at the very core of who we are.

Esther: In 2022, as part of Gildan's Next Generation ESG strategy, we further elevated our commitment to H&S by setting a goal to obtain the ISO 45001 certification at all Company-operated facilities by 2028. Since then, we have successfully obtained this certification in all our sewing facilities in the Dominican Republic, and we are on our way to achieving it in our other regions of operation as well.

What role do each of you play in bringing Gildan's H&S goals to life?

Mike: I am responsible for overseeing the implementation of our global H&S management systems and processes across all our manufacturing worldwide; this includes roughly 30 facilities in the United States, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Bangladesh. Throughout my time at Gildan, I have been involved in building a strong foundation for H&S, standardizing it across our many facilities, and consistently improving it.