Safety Approach at Heineken

Evolution of Safety Culture: From Incidents to Awareness

Developing a safety culture in manufacturing is not just about implementing new rules, but a deep transformation of employees' attitudes toward their own protection. In this webinar, Heineken experts share practical experience in changing behavioral patterns and implementing a multi-level risk assessment system. The speakers detail how the transition from formal compliance to conscious choices of safe behavior can significantly reduce injury rates.

John Kotter's Steps in Change Management

Sergey Korovin, HSE Manager at the Patra brewery, details the application of John Kotter's eight steps to transform safety culture. The starting point was two accidents and statistics showing that 80% of employees ignored basic rules, despite visual aids and briefings. This created the necessary "sense of urgency."

A key stage was forming a change team from rank-and-file employees, excluding managers, to ensure maximum openness. The team formulated the ideal final result (IFR): "the person wants to and behaves safely on their own." During numerous gemba sessions (field visits), this IFR was discussed with workers and contractors, which allowed gathering real feedback and involving personnel in the change process.

Working with Opposition and Practical Initiatives

The speaker pays special attention to working with informal leaders — the "opposition." Discussing the proposed action plan with critical employees led to the elimination of half the initiatives. However, the remaining 50% received full support from the opposition, who then broadcast these ideas to the masses, ensuring their successful implementation.

Among the implemented initiatives: replacing formal briefings with a video format featuring the workers themselves, installing additional handrails, and holding a "Family Safety Day." The latter event included practical checkpoints (first aid, firefighting, sensory loss simulation, and using VR headsets to demonstrate the risks of working at heights), which helped employees and their families realize the importance of following rules not only at work but also at home.

Multi-Level Risk Assessment: From Global Strategy to the Work Zone

Anna Voronkova, HSE Manager at Heineken's central office, presents a risk assessment system covering five levels of management. At the global level, an analysis of incidents over the past 3-5 years identified three priority areas: contractor safety, road safety, and leadership in occupational safety.

At the brewery group level, brainstorming is used to identify risky processes (e.g., forklift safety), after which the Bow-Tie method is used to analyze barriers and develop corrective measures. At the individual brewery level, a High Level Risk Assessment map is created, determining priority departments for detailed elaboration.

Detailed Assessment and Deviation Management

In each work zone, a detailed risk assessment is conducted using the Fine-Kinney method, which takes into account the severity, frequency, and probability of an event occurring. This allows classifying risks and focusing on the most critical ones (with a level above 200).

The speaker emphasizes the importance of registering all deviations (incidents, hazardous conditions, micro-injuries) by the workers themselves via mobile devices. The company's main rule is to respond and reduce the risk within 24 hours. This approach ensures transparency, engages personnel, and allows for prompt safety management on site.

What You Will Learn from This Webinar:

• How to apply John Kotter's 8 steps to change safety culture?
• Why working with the "opposition" is critical for the successful implementation of initiatives?
• How to organize a multi-level risk assessment system (from the global office to the workplace)?
• What are the advantages of using the Bow-Tie and Fine-Kinney methods in practice?
• How to engage employees in the deviation registration process and why a 24-hour response is important?