#HeraeusPeople Story
Not on my watch!
Dr. Anja Teske, Head of EHS Governance and Performance, HBS Corporate EHS
"A blocked emergency exit may be a trivial offense for some. For me, it means a potential danger to life.
A sentence that saves lives
I've been carrying out audits and assessments at Heraeus for two years, checking legal compliance and whether the sites comply with the EHS management system. A job that is far more than just working through checklists. It's about correctly assessing findings, accidents and measures.The list of life-critical standards is long: working at height, on pipes for chemicals and energy, in tanks or boilers. Welding. Excavations on construction sites. Handling forklift trucks. A single mistake can have fatal consequences. My personal credo is: “Not on my watch!” As long as I am responsible, I will do everything I can to prevent accidents.
The biggest hurdle in my job? When and how to raise the alarm. Addressing critical findings clearly without offending people. It requires sensitivity when you have to tell someone that their way of working is life-threatening. Business critical findings are particularly explosive. If I discover something that could cause people to die, the report goes straight to the board. It's not just the message that counts here, but also how it is delivered. My approach is direct, but human. I don't want to put anyone down or even embarrass them, but rather find solutions together. In situations like this, I often say: “It's better for me to find the flaws than for the authorities."
Purpose in every day
My motivation is clear: I never want to be the person who has to tell a family that their husband or wife is no longer coming home. I am glad that I can say that so far: As an EHS officer, I have never lost a person. A record that means everything in my industry. Because at the end of the day, it's not about reports or statistics. It's about ensuring that every employee returns home safely from work. That's what I'm committed to. Every day. With every audit. With every question."