Elements of the ZARUBEZHNEFT-dobycha Kharyaga Production System: Tools for Developing and Maintaining a Culture of Safe Production

Modern trends dictate the need for automation of production processes in various industries. However, no process can be fully implemented without human involvement. The work activities of every employee are associated with hazards and professional risks.

Compliance with safety requirements by employees has a direct impact on a company's performance indicators and results. By maintaining a safe work environment and encouraging employees to actively participate in ensuring safety, organizations minimize professional risk levels, increase labor productivity, and enhance team satisfaction. A positive role in developing and maintaining a culture of safe production is played by production system (PS) elements.

One of the PS elements of ZARUBEZHNEFT-dobycha Kharyaga (ZNDKH), which is aimed at creating a team of like-minded individuals aware of their contribution to achieving the company's common goals, is "Brigade Work Organization". Visual cues and the rating of the best brigades — structural units of the oil field — play an important role in this.

Another tool used for the visualization of a brigade's production tasks is the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) form. This is a document that specifies the most efficient, high-quality, and safe step-by-step execution of operations. Each SOP includes a warning block containing information about hazardous factors and potential threats during work, the types of personal and collective protective equipment required, as well as prohibitive signs.

At the request of the HSE Department of Zarubezhneft, additional SOPs were developed in 2024 for briefing rules for 7 types of work, including gas-hazardous, hot work, lifting operations, and others.

SOPs are placed directly at the work site in the form of stands and define the techniques, tools, equipment, and PPE that should be used for high-quality and safe operation with the least expenditure of effort, time, and materials.

Every month, based on monitoring performance indicators across four blocks, one of which is the HSE Block, ZNDKH determines the brigade rating. The HSE Block includes the following indicators:

• Absence of HSE incidents.
• Implementation of proactive measures to ensure safe work performance.
• Timely completion of personnel knowledge checks and periodic medical examinations.
• Timely implementation of measures based on inspection results.

The presence of these indicators further motivates employees to comply with legislative requirements and the corporate HSE system and to take an active stance on production safety issues, which positively impacts the company's overall safety culture level.

Each member of the brigade that takes first place at the end of the quarter receives a monetary reward.

One of the PS tools that shapes the company's culture of continuous improvement and positively affects production safety is the "5S" Standard. Compliance with this standard allows for the identification and reduction of waste during work functions by creating ergonomic and safe workplaces.

The "5S" system helps minimize professional risks such as:

• risk of tripping and falling due to a cluttered workplace;
• risk of falling objects due to improper workplace organization;
• risk of exposure to moving parts of machinery and vehicle collisions with employees in the absence of designated zones for movement and equipment placement, and others.

Another PS element worth noting, which helps improve performance in safe work execution and simultaneously serves as a tool for identifying, developing potential, and providing additional motivation for employees, is the "I Have an Idea!" block in the "Safety" category.

Ideas can be submitted by both ZNDKH employees and contractors. Every month, submitted ideas are reviewed by the company's Technical Council. Points are awarded for ideas recommended for implementation, which can be exchanged for prizes, and a monetary bonus is awarded for the best idea of the month, quarter, and year.

Such a tool helps involve employees in the process of continuous improvement, gives them the opportunity to demonstrate leadership qualities, and express an active position in improving working conditions.

Every quarter, as part of the implementation of production system motivation tools, the best HSE employee is selected. The main criteria for determining the best employee in this area are:

• number of initiated work stoppages ("STOP cards") upon detection of unsafe conditions or unsafe acts;
• number of submitted ideas in the "Safety" category;
• absence of incidents in the evaluated employee's unit;
• participation in HSE events and pilot testing of PPE.

At the end of the quarters and the year, the best HSE employees of ZNDKH and contracting organizations are awarded commemorative gifts and recognized with letters of appreciation and certificates.

The goal of any production system is to create shared corporate values within the workforce. ZNDKH has always strived to create a system that encourages employees to demonstrate their best qualities while ensuring optimal and safe interaction with each other.

This transformation began with the introduction of an execution culture, which includes tools such as defining corporate values, motivation, and discipline control. Simultaneously, the tools used to achieve PS development goals helped train personnel in safe work practices.

Now, after almost eight years of systematic work, it can be said that the goal has been achieved (in 2024, based on diagnostic results, ZNDKH was the first among Zarubezhneft enterprises to receive the "Systemic" level of Production System development), and the culture of safe production has transformed from a promising idea into a fundamental value for every ZNDKH employee, spreading further and further beyond the company — into the ranks of contractor employees.