🎙 Taking Safety Conversations from Inspiration to Action.
Guest: Steff Williams, Director of Safety for Sunoco Europe and APAC
Host: Mousa Yassin, CEO & Founder of Pixaera
In this episode of Safety Heroes, host Mousa Yassin, CEO & Founder of Pixaera, welcomes Steff Williams, Director of Safety for Sunoco Europe and APAC. Steff’s journey—from his roots on a windswept farm in Scotland to leading global safety strategy—is not only inspiring but also deeply human.
With candid insights and heartfelt reflections, Steff shares what it means to lead with purpose, care, and an unwavering commitment to protecting people.
“Tell me, what could be better than waking up every day, making sure that people do not get hurt and do not get made ill at work?” – Steff Williams
Episode Summary
Steff Williams takes us through a lifetime of lessons, starting from hard-earned values on a farm in Scotland to leading safety operations across continents for a $8B global manufacturer. His evolution from logistics at Coca-Cola to discovering a natural calling in safety offers a blueprint for others seeking purpose in their careers.
Steff’s focus? Preventing serious injuries and fatalities, also known as "life-changing event exposures", and doing so with empathy, consistency, and action.
Key Takeaways
- Purpose-Driven Safety: Steff emphasizes knowing your “why" for yourself and every team member.
- Life-Changing Events: His priority is preventing serious injuries and fatalities by focusing on high-risk activities.
- Human Performance: Understanding that people make mistakes, the goal is to design systems that catch them before harm occurs.
- Global Perspective: Cultural and climate differences across sites require empathy and adaptability.
- People Over Process: Empowering frontline workers is at the core of a resilient safety culture.
Quickfire Q&A: Straight Answers, No Fluff
Mousa Yassin: What does success in safety mean to you today?
Steff Williams: Reducing exposure to life-changing events. Every single day what I want to do is to make sure that people do not come close to experiencing what we would describe as a life-changing event.
Mousa Yassin: What advice would you give to someone new in safety?
Steff Williams: Put people at the center.
A Safety Philosophy Rooted in Humanity
Steff’s formative years on a Scottish island farm instilled discipline and empathy, two values that now define his leadership. Farming life was tough, exposed to relentless rain, wind, and early responsibilities caring for animals, but it taught him the value of hard work, accountability, and resilience. It’s where his lifelong connection to nature and people began.
These early lessons have remained foundational. When he transitioned into professional life, first in logistics and operations at Coca-Cola, Steff’s instinct to prioritize people stood out.
Now, at Sunoco, where he oversees safety for over 330 sites and 25,000+ employees, Steff channels those same people-first principles. He’s not driven by titles or hierarchy.
"[We] want to do everything that we can to make sure that nobody does get hurt. And that's a commitment from the very, very top of our organization."
Focusing on What Matters: Life-Changing Events
Steff’s organization made a strategic shift to focus on what they refer to as “life-changing event exposures” (LCEs), incidents that result in either a fatality or a serious, permanent injury that alters a person’s life forever. Unlike minor injuries or near-misses, these events represent the most severe and devastating outcomes in the workplace.
Steff recalls real-life examples from his own operations: a fatality in a confined space where hazardous gases were present, and forklift-pedestrian incidents that could, and should, have been avoided.
Some of the most common high-risk exposures in include:
- Confined Space Entry – Particularly within paper mills, where workers often enter enclosed areas with little ventilation and potentially dangerous atmospheric conditions.
- Forklift Truck Interaction – Every facility uses forklifts. The risk increases when routine familiarity leads to complacency around moving vehicles.
- Working at Height – From aerial lifts to maintenance platforms, falls continue to be a top concern.
- Machinery Interventions – Especially during breakdowns, when workers may feel pressure to get equipment running again, leading to rushed decisions and bypassed safety protocols.
Rather than trying to fix every safety issue equally, Steff’s team prioritizes these life-altering hazards. He pushes leaders to ask: Where are we trying to reduce the most severe exposures? This clarity allows for smarter resource allocation, meaningful controls, and proactive learning across sites.
Empowering People, Not Policing Them
“People don’t get up in the morning and plan to hurt themselves,” Steff reminds us. That fundamental belief is at the heart of his approach to safety. He challenges the old mindset of blaming the worker, instead asking leaders to understand what led to a mistake and how systems can support better decisions.
Operators and frontline workers are not just implementers, they are experts. Many have worked on their lines for years and know the equipment and its quirks better than anyone. Instead of being dismissed or penalized when things go wrong, Steff wants to unlock their insights.
“These people have got the answers. All you need to do is tap into it,”
Final Thoughts
Steff Williams embodies what the Safety Heroes podcast is all about leading with heart, listening deeply, and fighting for a safer, smarter future.
His insights are a powerful reminder that true safety leadership means showing up for people on and off the job.
About Safety Heroes Podcast
Safety Heroes is the podcast where HSE industry leaders, innovators, and experts share real-world insights on workplace safety, sustainability, and leadership. Each episode uncovers practical strategies, powerful stories, and expert advice to help professionals create safer, smarter, and more resilient work environments.
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