A Full-Circle Approach to Safety: How IXOM Is Raising the Bar for Industry

When Simon Farrar joined IXOM as Head of Safety, Health & Major Accident Risk, it felt less like a new chapter and more like a return home, albeit with a different perspective.

A chemical engineer by background, Simon began his career in the building where IXOM’s head office is today, and where we once operated under ICI and later Orica. He spent more than 20 years working across the chemicals sector before stepping into regulatory leadership roles at WorkSafe Victoria and Safe Transport Victoria, where he oversaw major hazard facility, dangerous goods and maritime, bus and taxi regulation across the state.

Now at IXOM a decade later, after viewing the industry from both sides he has a unique vantage point.

“Coming back to IXOM really does feel like coming home, but with a very different perspective around what communities expect from us in how we operate.”

His perspective is now helping shape how we continue to lead on safety, both internally as well as across the industries we serve.

Seeing IXOM with fresh eyes

IXOM has grown significantly, effectively doubling in size over the past decade. More importantly, it has diversified beyond its original core, expanding into new industries, technologies and solutions.

“IXOM isn’t just manufacturing and sending product to customers anymore,” Simon explains. “We’re now a true end-to-end solutions provider. We source globally, support complex supply chains and work directly with customers to solve real operational challenges.”

That evolution has elevated IXOM’s longstanding focus on customers. “The customer focus has always been there, but what’s different now is how deeply that focus runs, understanding customer challenges and partnering with them to meet needs safely and reliably.”

The next generation of safety thinking

Arriving at IXOM, Simon encountered a mix of familiar faces and new talent, a blend that really impressed him.

While experienced people anchor the organisation’s systems and standards, a wave of new skills and perspectives is helping to drive innovation. Investment in onboarding, training and capability building has created momentum that is critical for long-term safety leadership.

“We’ve got well established processes and systems, but it’s the fresh eyes coming in that help us keep pushing forward - not just to meet standards, but lift them.”

That mindset applies equally to how IXOM views safety today. Traditional occupational health remains fundamental, but there is now a stronger emphasis on psychological safety and mental health, reflecting a broader industry focus on what it means to keep people safe, supported and engaged at work.

Safety under pressure: systems that stand up in uncertainty

For IXOM, periods of disruption, including the COVID pandemic, reinforced the strength of our approach.

“Safety isn’t something we compromise on when the world gets difficult, it’s exactly when we rely on it most.”

IXOM uses embedded processes such as management of change frameworks, supplier assessment protocols and crisis response systems. These aren’t documents that sit on shelves, they’re lived and understood by people across the organisation.

“Our people know the processes, know when to enact them, and trust them. That confidence only comes from having systems that are practical, tested and genuinely fit for purpose. It means we can continue to deliver products and solutions safely in times of change and adversity”

Trusted to handle the complex

At its core, IXOM operates in environments where complexity, risk and compliance are nonnegotiable realities. The ability to manage novel challenges safely comes down to a culture where our people and systems come together to find safe solutions.

“Complex problems require capable, highly skilled technical people who are supported by strong systems and a culture that won’t take shortcuts,” Simon says. “That’s where IXOM really excels.”

As IXOM continues to grow into new industries and solutions, that same commitment to learning, investment and safety leadership remains fundamental.

Why IXOM, and why now

What drew Simon to IXOM was opportunity.

His mandate centres on simplifying and modernising our risk management framework, tailoring systems to IXOM’s current scale, complexity and ambition, and reimagining operational safety, health and environment (SH&E) training.

“It’s about focusing on the things that really matter: the controls and practices that actually keep our people, customers and communities safe. It’s rare to see organisations commit to optimising safety systems and not just adding layers, but making them clearer, more targeted and more effective.”

Simon’s regulatory experience plays a key role, bringing an external lens to internal decision-making and helping IXOM have a clear view of community expectations.

Lifting standards beyond IXOM

For Simon, safety leadership doesn’t stop at the factory gate or office door.

IXOM has long been involved in initiatives that uplift standards across industry, from earlier programs such as CoDe through to more recent projects like BIGINS. We also work directly with customers, providing training in safe handling, product use and operational best practice.

“We feel our collective safety experience across many years and many activities continues to provide long term benefit to our customers. When customers operate more safely, the whole industry benefits.”

---

Interested in how IXOM approaches safety in complex operations? Connect with us here.