Operational control is not just a task or duty, but a direct function of everyone at the enterprise. Managers at all levels play the main role in this process: in the crew, on the shift, at the facility, and in the company as a whole. Developing a barrier approach to safety management at enterprises will allow us not to accumulate problems, but to solve them collaboratively through a shared perspective on the adequacy of safety barriers in a specific area, the causes of identified deviations, and the allocation of resources to eliminate them.
The main goal of operational control is to reduce injury and accident rates.
Achieving this goal is linked to the transition from eliminating deviations to preventing them proactively. It is important not only to see and record deviations but also to identify their root causes, set priorities, and develop and implement immediate and long-term measures to prevent their recurrence. It is necessary to analyze and consider the results of operational control when planning work, compiling registers of hazardous operational situations (HOS), and reviewing them during Safety Days and at HSE Committees.
Our goal adopted in the company is to improve the operational control system by implementing a barrier model of risk management that prevents the formation of hazardous operational situations.
Here is the acronym GARANT — it helps to easily remember the key principles of operational control. Now we will break down each of them individually.
G — Guiding element: barrier approach.
Operational control is not just about finding violations, but building a system of barriers that prevent deviations before they lead to incidents.
A — Active control of deviations.
Control is not a mere formality — mining foremen and engineering and technical personnel (ETP) verify the condition of barriers using checklists, identify non-conformities, and record them.
R — Responsible department managers are risk owners.
Section managers bear responsibility for risks, as they are essentially the owners of these risks. They are the ones who analyze the causes of deviations and determine measures to eliminate them.
A — Actualization of priority measures.
Urgent safety measures must be included in work plans immediately — for the next 24 hours or the upcoming week.
N — Normalizing long-term measures.
Comprehensive measures requiring resources and time are entered into the HOS register and planned for the next period.
T — Thorough monthly analysis.
Recurring deviations, Rostekhnadzor (RTN) directives, and other control results are reviewed at HSE committees for systemic work with root causes.
"These principles only work as a whole. If one of them is ignored, the system will fail."
A well-established operational control system is the foundation of safe and efficient production.