Safety is one of Nornickel's three core values, alongside care for people and efficiency. For me, safety is the most important value, because the Company's main asset is its people, and its primary task is to ensure safe working conditions for every employee.
I want to share my story of coming into HSE.
At the beginning of my career, I worked for a contracting organization where management prioritized meeting production targets over compliance with health and safety rules. Unfortunately, this policy led to accidents in which people were injured. One of the main reasons I decided to move to Nornickel was specifically the company's policy regarding compliance with safety rules at its facilities.
From the very first days of my internship at the Zapolyarny mine, I noticed that the attitude towards compliance with safety requirements here was radically different from what I had seen before. Management and engineering staff demanded strict adherence to all rules, especially the Cardinal Rules. No one even considered speeding up the process by violating safety regulations.
When I was entrusted with the duties of a mining foreman at the extraction site, I promised myself that there would be no safety violations during my shift. I became an example for my colleagues by strictly following the rules and explaining the importance of compliance. I didn't have friends among the workers, and I didn't strive to be anyone's "favorite" or "buddy." Instead, I became an authority figure whom people approached for advice on performing work safely.
My tough stance on safety compliance — both from myself and from the workers — led the mine's management to entrust me with leading the underground ventilation section. There is a risk of methane emissions in the mine, so I immediately realized that preserving the lives and health of the workers would depend on my professional competencies and principles.
I had to "cross swords" when organizing the work of contractors: unfortunately, financial profit was their primary concern, and they "had no time" to comply with HSE rules. Yes, by suspending their work, I jeopardized the completion of production tasks on schedule. But I can confidently say that by doing so, I saved several lives and preserved the health of the contractors' employees.
When the management of these organizations realized that I was in my position "seriously and for the long haul," they had no choice but to rethink their attitude toward HSE compliance and restructure their work to follow these rules.
A couple of years passed, and the mine's management set a new task for me: I was entrusted with the duties of Deputy Chief Engineer for Production Control. As a third-generation miner, this transformation from a production worker to an HSE professional was initially not to my liking. I found myself on the other side of the "barricades" in relation to colleagues I had worked with for many years. And accepting that I might lose friendships with some of them because of my professional stance was frankly difficult for me.
The thing is, I am cold and impartial to the pleas of those who flagrantly violate safety rules: this applies to both workers and engineering staff. I haven't compromised my principles, but I have clearly structured my relationships with colleagues: outside the mine, we are friends; on the mine's territory, we are colleagues. Personal relationships do not affect work relationships in any way, and vice versa.
Sometimes I am asked why violations of the Cardinal Rules are not detected at the Zapolyarny mine. The answer is simple: such violations are followed by severe punishment — public condemnation and dismissal. It is better for workers to fear my reaction to their violations than to consciously put their lives and health in danger. I live by this credo and promote it among my acquaintances.
Frankly speaking, I sometimes miss the dynamic pace of life I had during my years working at the extraction site. My current job doesn't give me that kind of adrenaline because everything is stable and calm. But there is confidence in the future: for my part, I have done everything possible to ensure that ore extraction at the mine is carried out as safely as possible.
I don't know how my career will unfold in the future. Perhaps I will be assigned to lead another production area at the mine that won't be related to production control. But I can definitively say that my career path in HSE has given me a vast wealth of knowledge and skills, shaping me into a high-quality specialist. I am sure that I will miss this job even more than my previous one.