Collaboration between Mennens and Octant: Stronger Together in QHSE

Collaboration between Mennens and Octant: Stronger Together in QHSE

Safety, sustainability, and risk management play an increasingly important role in the workplace—especially in dynamic environments such as the Port of Rotterdam. To stay in control of these challenges, Mennens has been working closely with Octant QHSSE Consultants for the past four years. In addition to preparing Risk Inventory & Evaluation (RI&E) reports for all Mennens locations, Octant’s consultants have supported Mennens in developing an online, integrated QHSE management system.
The result: a company-wide implemented and centralized QHSE management system that brings structure, clarity, and uniformity—helping Mennens demonstrably comply with ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, VCA*, EKH, GWO, and the Safety Culture Ladder Light level 3 standards.

From Internship to Partnership

The collaboration has a special origin. Mark de Vos (51), now an experienced QHSE consultant and owner of Octant QHSSE Consultants, first encountered Mennens during his vocational studies. At the age of 17, he completed an internship at the Sales Department in Mennens’ former building in Schiedam’s Spanish Polder, under the supervision of Jaap Mastenbroek.
“A fun fact that makes it even more special for me that we’ve been working for Mennens since 2021,” says Mark.

Today, Mark and Octant are closely involved in further professionalizing Mennens’ approach to QHSE.
On Mennens’ side, Michel van Ham plays a key role in the company’s QHSE policy. He started his career at Mennens as a service technician, advanced to sales representative, and later obtained a safety management diploma.
Michel was first appointed QHSE Coordinator for Mennens’ Hengelo location, and in 2021 he became QHSE Manager for the entire Mennens Group. His mission: zero workplace accidents and strong awareness among all employees regarding health & safety risks and Mennens’ QHSE policy. In addition, he aims to centralize QHSE, create engagement across the organization, and drive continuous improvement in quality, safety, environmental awareness, and work processes.

Centralization and Structure

Mennens had a clear need: one integrated QHSE management system across all locations to monitor, manage, and mitigate safety risks, as well as assign and track tasks.
Michel came into contact with Mark after attending an Octant webinar—and that’s how the partnership began.

Improve: The System Behind the Collaboration

The online management platform Improve forms the backbone of this partnership. Although full implementation is still in progress, managers at Mennens are already experiencing its benefits.
All process descriptions, work instructions, and registration forms are accessible to everyone directly at the workplace. This makes filling out registrations—such as workplace inspections, (near-)accidents, complaints, supplier evaluations, audit results, new risks, and more—extremely easy.
As a result, Mennens now has far greater insight into where and when improvement measures should be taken.

“Thanks to Improve, we’re able to implement our QHSE policy across Mennens in a structured way and increase employee engagement and understanding,” says Michel.

Challenges and Opportunities

In the coming years, the focus will be on further implementation. Operational staff need to become more actively involved in reporting and documenting near-misses, unsafe situations, and complaints. ISO standards require not only registration but also the documentation of improvement measures, their follow-up, and evaluation to prevent recurrence.
There are also plans to link the system to the new ERP platform and to expand Safety Awareness training on the work floor.

Leading Within the Group

Mennens is part of the Lifting Solutions Group under parent company Axel Johnson International. Within the group, a QHSE forum has been active for the past two years, where information about near-misses, incidents, QHSE procedures, and systems is shared. While many sister companies still operate with decentralized systems, Mennens is ahead with the implementation of an online QHSE management system. Other group companies are eager to learn from the processes Mennens has put in place—QHSE is no exception.

The future holds even more opportunities, such as multilingual programs and the integration of AI within Improve. Think of automatic translations and online RI&E tools.
With these innovations, Octant continues to stay ahead of legislation and regulations—helping Mennens maintain compliance and continuously elevate safety and awareness across the organization.