Managing safety where it matters most: how Tanvi Bhushan makes safety actionable

For businesses, stricter regulations mean a choice: struggle to keep up or turn compliance into a competitive edge. Tanvi Bhushan has spent over a decade proving the latter is possible and essential. As an EHS specialist, she has helped federal construction, corporate operations, and environmental consulting transform safety standards from a legal obligation into a driver of efficiency and resilience.

From compliance to competitive advantage

A well-executed safety strategy does more than prevent incidents; it optimises operations, enhances employee morale, and strengthens client relationships. Businesses that embed safety into their core processes benefit in multiple ways:

Cutting costs through risk prevention

Workplace incidents carry direct costs — such as medical expenses and compensation claims — and indirect costs, including project delays, legal fees, and productivity losses. Regular risk assessments and Job Hazard Analyses (JHAs) are crucial to identifying and mitigating these risks before they escalate.

For example, Tanvi Bhushan spearheaded the 'Mission Zero' initiative, a safety-first program designed to reduce workplace injuries and financial losses. She did it while working at FreshDirect Inc., a leading and most innovative online grocery retailer in the United States, known for its farm-to-door freshness and advanced supply chain systems. Her team carefully analysed different jobs to identify potential dangers and find solutions. By doing this, they significantly reduced workplace accidents and improved overall safety.

"For me, safety is personal. Every accident prevented means a worker goes home safe to their family, and I’m so happy about that," Tanvi emphasises.

Boosting efficiency with instructions and inspections

A safe workplace is also a more efficient one. Standardising processes through clear Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) — clear, step-by-step work guidelines — and regular safety audits ensures that operations run smoothly with minimal disruptions.

"I once had a worker tell me, ‘For the first time, I don’t have to guess—I know exactly what to do and how to do it safely.’ That’s the power of clear instructions," Tanvi recalls.

As Regional EHS Manager at FreshDirect LLC, Tanvi developed and enforced SOPs and training programs that streamlined workflows while enhancing compliance. Similarly, her role at AARC Environmental Inc. — a company known for providing expert environmental consulting and compliance services — focused on conducting weekly environmental and safety audits for clients in California. This approach helped businesses proactively detect and address potential risks before they escalated. These systematic inspections ensured compliance and improved overall operational efficiency by reducing downtime caused by safety lapses.

Reducing risks with data-driven safety

While meeting minimum compliance standards is necessary, leveraging data to track safety performance allows companies to go beyond compliance and achieve sustained improvement. By analysing incident data and implementing data-driven corrective actions, organisations can identify patterns, measure the effectiveness of safety initiatives, and continuously refine their approach.

In multi-million dollar military and academic construction projects at Dannick Inc., Tanvi contributed to implementing proactive safety measures that aligned with these strict standards.

"When you manage safety on projects of this scale, you become responsible for hundreds of people working in high-risk environments every day," Tanvi explains. "You must earn their trust and ensure every decision prioritises efficiency and well-being."

Building this trust meant implementing real-time hazard tracking so teams could address risks before they escalated into incidents. It also required specialised safety drills tailored to complex construction environments, ensuring every worker—from site labourers to project managers—was fully prepared for potential risks. By fostering a safety-first mindset and embedding clear, structured protocols into daily operations, Tanvi and her team achieved a 75% reduction in workplace hazards. This result safeguarded workers and kept projects on schedule, within budget, and at the highest quality standards.

Shifting from a reactive to a proactive safety mindset is not just about avoiding fines — it’s a strategic investment with measurable returns. Businesses that integrate risk assessments, audits, training, and data-driven decision-making into their operations unlock significant benefits: lower costs, higher efficiency, improved employee engagement, stronger client relationships, and long-term regulatory stability.

Written by Dan Agbo.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/special-reports/10042025/managing-safety-where-it-matters-most-how-tanvi-bhushan-makes-safety-actionable/