Expert Blog
Using Checklists: Making the Complex Simple
Checklists in the field of occupational health and safety and industrial safety allow for systematizing control and minimizing human error, turning the complex process of safety assessment into a sequence of clear steps. Thanks to a unified methodology, such a tool becomes a guide for both beginners and experienced specialists, preventing important parameters from being missed under tight time constraints. The use of clear and practical inspection algorithms simplifies internal audits, reduces the time needed for paperwork, and helps protect the lives and health of workers.
Click It Before You Get Caught
The article discusses the importance of using seat belts based on traffic accident statistics and real transport incidents. The material describes the experience of JSC SUEK-Kuzbass in implementing an online monitoring system with video analytics that records violations 24/7. The publication explains how automated control helps systematically eradicate violations and protect the lives and health of employees.
Smoke Detector — The Silent Guardian of Your Home!
The article discusses a standalone smoke alarm—a compact device that reacts to smoke in the early stage of a fire and emits a loud acoustic signal. The device operates 24/7 on a standard battery and makes it possible to wake up in time or leave the room before evacuation routes are cut off by fire. The material describes the rules for placement and maintenance of the device, as well as analyzes popular myths and common mistakes when using it.
"Confined Spaces" Procedure
The article is dedicated to practical experience in applying the "Work in Confined Spaces" procedure at an enterprise. The author describes key steps to increase its effectiveness, including conducting an inventory of facilities, assessing risks using a checklist, preparing a mobile safety kit, and in-person employee training. Attention is also paid in the material to appointing a supervising occupational health and safety specialist, regular audits, and annual practice of evacuation skills.
What Language Should You Speak with Your Audience?
In another video note from the series, Konstantin Ermolaev, Head of the Safety Culture Promotion Department at Nornickel, examines the question of what language to speak with the audience. The author shares practical observations on building effective communications in occupational health and safety.
Artificial Intelligence: A New Benchmark in HSE
The article is dedicated to the application of artificial intelligence, chat models, and low-code platforms in the field of occupational health and safety to transition from administrative reporting to risk forecasting and management. The material explains how digital tools accelerate the development of solutions and reduce the volume of routine operations, not replacing the specialist, but enhancing their expert role. The author also examines the practical stages of implementing no-code applications, the benefits of digitalization, and emerging legal and infrastructural challenges.
Standard Operating Procedure
A standard operating procedure (SOP) records step-by-step procedures for performing operations, occupational health and safety requirements, and risk mitigation measures to ensure work safety and quality. Using JSC Rosatom Steklovolokno as an example, the article examines the stages of SOP development, hazard identification rules, and criteria for selecting priority operations. The material demonstrates how the document helps prevent incidents and train personnel, serving as an effective tool for occupational safety management.
Learning from Others' Mistakes: Why Short Videos Are an Effective Safety Training Tool
In conditions of information overload, traditional multi-page safety instructions often go ignored, whereas short visual formats are perceived significantly better. Regular videos showing violations do not always educate, because without an analysis of the causes, it is unclear to the viewer exactly how to prevent such an incident. The video series 'Learning from Others' Mistakes' uses a short video format for detailed analysis of incidents, turning them into clear and memorable educational tools.
Job Rotation: How to Overcome the "Habituation Effect"
The article is devoted to the problem of the "professional blind spot" in occupational health and safety, due to which specialists stop noticing accumulating risks in familiar areas. As a solution, the author considers the rotation of duties — a planned change of areas of responsibility that restores vigilance and a "beginner's eye". The material explains the advantages of such an approach for the development of the safety system and describes practical steps for its implementation at the enterprise.
Safety as a Standard: How Implementing the LOTO System Shapes a New Production Culture
The article is devoted to the implementation of a pilot project for the introduction of the Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) system in 2024 for safe equipment maintenance. It describes the five main stages of implementing a standardized protocol for the physical lockout of energy sources — from hazard identification and purchasing lockout devices to personnel training. The material shows how successful experience in applying LOTO transforms production culture and why this practice is currently being scaled up to all OTEKO sites.
"Decent Work Means Safe Labor": How Vorkuta Trains Personnel for the Gas Industry
The article tells about the competition 'Decent Work – Safe Labor', which since 2016 has been helping Vorkuta prepare its own personnel for the gas industry. As part of the project, high school students study the basics of life safety, get acquainted with gas transportation professions, and analyze real production case studies. The program shows the connection between school subjects and work tasks and increases the interest of young people in working in their hometown.
Who is Your Target Audience?
Konstantin Ermolaev, Head of the Safety Culture Promotion Department at Nornickel, presents a series of video notes dedicated to the topic of occupational health and safety. In his materials, the author shares practical observations on how to build effective communications in this area. This issue examines the topic of the target audience and raises the question of who exactly we are working for.