Safety engineer Lisa Wienecke works as a Health & Safety Manager at DHL Airways GmbH at Cologne/Bonn Airport.

In her role, Lisa Wienecke manages the Health & Safety department, which was only established when she was hired by DHL Airways GmbH in Cologne. The company has been experiencing strong growth for several years. The expansion will continue to increase in the future, so the company is always looking for personnel reinforcement. Therefore, she recommends that all interested graduates should keep an eye on the DHL job advertisements regularly.
Via several stations, a degree in safety engineering from the University of Wuppertal led the Lippstadt-born academic to her job at Cologne/Bonn Airport. Wienecke's original idea was quite different, although her focus today is on occupational safety

Member of the volunteer fire brigade

The Master's graduate came across the study of safety engineering through her family. For Lisa Wienecke, it was clear, even before she started her studies, that she did not want to do anything theoretical. "I want to work in practice and get in touch with people. My strong hands-on mentality helps me do that," she explains. "That is why the only option for me was an engineering degree."
The practically inclined graduate joined the volunteer fire brigade in Anröchte at the age of 18. After successfully completing her training as a squad member, she also obtained her Class CE driving licence. Wienecke informed herself about the possibilities of studying already during her Abitur (A-levels). "I intensively looked into the contents of studying safety engineering and consulted with my father. I also took advantage of the open day to have various conversations with professors and students. As a result, the information I gained led to my enthusiasm for safety engineering and my decision to take up the study programme.

Shifting the focus, keeping the goal in mind

Lisa Wienecke enjoyed her studies, as she says, and she advises all students to do the same. "The study contents, the offers and also the internships are of course the most essential part of the education. But it was also important for me to enjoy the student time as such. Besides the books, there are other things that are fun," she chuckles.

Today's manager advises students to not limit their focus to individual specialisations right at the beginning of their studies. Rather, it is important to keep a broad perspective and be open to new subject areas. Lisa Wienecke made this experience herself: While initially, she only thought of the topic of fire protection, her interest later shifted to the field of occupational safety. With quality, fire protection, environment and occupational safety, the study of safety engineering has four essential fields, all of which are interesting.
"During the bachelor's degree (in which we were also trained as occupational safety specialists with the corresponding internships), I realised that this area is also very interesting for me. I want to position myself broadly. The field of occupational safety will also be a big topic for companies in the future. There are many facets that make it particularly exciting to work in this area of responsibility."

Company internships give insight into the working world

Wienecke has completed a number of internships where she was able to gain further valuable practical experience. As a tip, Lisa Wienecke tells the students: "Studying in itself is always very theoretical, which makes internships even more important. Future employers also pay attention to this when selecting their employees".
The current manager made her first contact with practical occupational safety at a medium-sized family business that develops and manufactures innovative and efficient springs, spring assemblies and wire bending parts. "How do you draw up a risk assessment? How do you communicate with your colleagues? During this internship, I was only confronted with these questions, for example."

First permanent position: leading Deutsche Prüfgesellschaft

The safety technology sector is a labour market that is in great demand, so there is, in general, a high demand for personnel. This is due, among other things, to the ever-increasing legal requirements.

Approached by a former fellow student in Dortmund, Lisa Wienecke found her way directly to her first employer. "The Prüfgesellschaft was, as an external service provider, very appealing to me. This gave me the opportunity to get to know many companies as a young graduate and, of course, to build up my own network. In addition, I was able to integrate my passions for fire protection and occupational safety into my professional life." As an occupational safety specialist, Lisa Wienecke took on responsibility early on in advising various companies in different industries.

Health & Safety Manager at DHL Airways GmbH

In the course of her work at the Prüfgesellschaft, she also came into contact with DHL at Cologne/Bonn Airport. Several attempts to poach her from the large logistics group initially failed, but finally the right job came along at the right time in autumn 2020.

"I had decided to change he perspective. While I was "only" an external advisory service provider at the Prüfgesellschaft, I now wanted to accompany projects from start to finish."

Challenges in the pandemic

"DHL is part of the critical infrastructure," Wienecke says. "DHL Airways GmbH operates an international and national air freight hub for the transport of goods at Cologne/Bonn Airport with approximately 400 employees as part of the DPDHL Group. Our company has a special significance for the functioning of the community in the transport and traffic sector, as we provide critical services to the general public." The pandemic has confronted DHL Airways GmbH with major challenges in addition to the previously relevant occupational safety issues, which have now fallen within Lisa Wienecke's remit. The development of protection concepts and their management currently has top priority in day-to-day business.
While she is still at the beginning of her career, the 30-year-old university graduate aöready steers the newly created Health & Safety department as head of department. The progressive growth in the company will further increase the importance of the new department. Thanks to her successful studies at the University of Wuppertal and her practical experience, Lisa Wienecke has all the tools she needs to meet these challenges in every respect.

Uwe Blass (Interview on April 7, 2021)

Lisa Wienecke studied Safety Engineering at the University of Wuppertal and works as a Health & Safety Manager at DHL Airways GmbH in Cologne.