HSE. Step 2. Engagement.

Every organization has departments that people enjoy interacting with, such as those that organize sports, leisure, or cultural programs. But then there is our HSE service, which, at best, is treated with caution, or more accurately, isn't really liked. We aren't expected or welcomed in the workshops or on-site, and staff try to avoid meetings with HSE. That's how it used to be...

How can we captivate staff and unite them for safety-oriented tasks? The first opportunity for engagement was World HSE Day and children. The catalyst was a children's drawing contest dedicated to safety, with no age or organization limits. Year after year, more children participate in this contest. The exhibitions grew annually, and every child was awarded a certificate of merit and a gift. Now, kindergartens, mothers with toddlers, schoolchildren, and graduates participate in this large-scale competition. This year, the exhibition was impressive in scope: over 330 drawings from schools and kindergartens.

All drawings are subsequently used in posters promoting safe labor, which are placed in high-traffic areas and at workstations. When employees see their children's drawings, they feel proud of them and take their children's messages to stay safe and return home healthy, where they are awaited, more seriously.

Everyone has genius abilities; they just need an outlet. While instructions must be followed at work, creativity allows following one's imagination. These fantasies, met with the approval and admiration of colleagues, began to take various creative forms dedicated to production and safety: scrapbooking-style drawings, design mock-ups, and videos. Incidentally, a shop manager played the lead role in the CTAI video. Involvement in shared tasks that seem non-production-related at first glance unites people. Staff began creating extraordinary thematic posters with quests, puzzles, riddles, and proverbs.

Rolled-up posters and tubes at bus stops became a sign of April. Proposals also came from contractor personnel; a wave of creativity swept everyone working at the station. The number of entries grows every year.
Interestingly, in subsequent work with contest participants, communication on production issues became faster and easier: tension disappeared, opinion exchange became more active, and solutions to problematic issues were found more quickly.

Now, according to participants, the month of World HSE Day contests is "awaited and planned for" all year round. This year, employees truly expanded their scope: over 500 workers from 22 departments took part in the contest, submitting 35 creative works, including posters of the future, "adults and children" posters, and ROSTA-style posters. They also prepared 9 3D-installation models, 7 videos, and participated in writing comic HSE instructions, completing electronic quests, and solving crosswords.

The scale of the exhibition works impressed everyone!

Of course, one could say this has nothing to do with work. But! Participation in collective creativity matters in forming the psychological climate in the team, fostering kind and responsible partnerships, raising children as a new generation of future specialists, and strengthening self-control based on their children's appeals in the drawings.

A crucial moment in any contest is the summary of results. Based on the results, all works were recognized, winners in all creative categories were awarded, and every child received a gift. And all this happened alongside contractors, which is important; following the example of NVAES, contractor organizations are also starting similar active work using our experience. Ideas spread like ripples on water.

For us, the organizers, there is a valuable result: works from the contest site became exhibits in the "HSE Museum."
Everyone who participated became reliable partners and friends. A team of active like-minded people is growing, and that's great.

Working together cheerfully is much more interesting, and it's easier to fight the "we've always done it this way" habits.

Notably, observations show that during this period, there are more interesting suggestions and implemented improvement solutions at workstations, and significantly fewer violation notices.