Only the First Step is Difficult: The Five Steps of Safety

A person takes risks every second, from birth and throughout their entire life. A person's whole life is associated with risks: putting on a kettle at home – a person risks getting burned; crossing the road – they risk getting into a traffic accident. What plays the main role in the law of self-preservation? At a subconscious level, without even realizing it, a person assesses the threatening danger every second and develops ways to manage risks. As for production, the level of risk awareness and hazard elimination for every employee is a vital factor. We often derive massive formulas for simple solutions, even though safety is actually simple! So simple that everyone performs it every day, every minute, without even knowing it. We have formulated an easy-to-remember algorithm – the Five Steps of Safety. The Five Steps of Safety is a short algorithm for analysis, decision-making, and action in emergency situations, the knowledge of which helps employees eliminate incidents.

Step One – "Stop, Think" (while performing work, before taking an action, pause and think to eliminate errors).

Step Two – "Identify Hazards and Consequences" (think about and consider what hazards may arise for you and your colleagues while performing the work).

Step Three – "Check" (ask yourself what needs to be done to eliminate the hazard – put on a helmet, take a gas mask, check the pressure in the apparatus, check if everything necessary is available, consult with colleagues).

Step Four – "Remember" (what to do in an emergency, who to report it to, how to prevent or stop it; ask yourself if you know how to act if something goes wrong, whether you can handle it yourself or need help).

Step Five – "Make a Decision" (ask yourself if you are sure that everything is safe, the work is understood, and everything has been taken into account; after that, make a decision for yourself and others, and then perform the work safely; in case of doubt, do not rush to perform the work – seek advice, do not be shy, as safety is more important for both you and the team).

If you are sure, perform the work safely; if you are in doubt, refuse the work!

Also, to assist the employee, brief and visual memos have been developed – high-risk work cards under the "Work Safely!" slogan. Each card contains five simple and clear key questions for preparing high-risk work. Starting from the minimum crew size and the issuance of a work permit, to sampling and conducting targeted briefings. The cards are collected in a single "Five Steps of Safety" album. The album is a supplement to the employee's desk book, the safety handbook, which I wrote about earlier. They are located in control rooms, freely accessible to all employees of the enterprise and contracting organizations. Teaching employees to correctly and deliberately assess risks every shift is an important element in developing our safety culture in production, and the fact that all complex solutions should be simple and logical is a rule of life.