How Can Social Rules of Conduct Create a Trusting Safety Atmosphere?

From Rules to Trust: The Evolution of the HSE Specialist's Role

Modern occupational safety has long ceased to be just a set of instructions and regulations. Today, it is a complex system of relationships where trust between the HSE function and production departments becomes a key success factor. In his presentation, Mikhail Zhiganov, Director of the Safety Culture Development Department at Nornickel, explains exactly how the behavioral rules of occupational safety specialists form an atmosphere of trust and why effective work is impossible without it.

The speaker demonstrates, using his company as an example, that the traditional image of an "inspector-overseer" no longer meets modern challenges. It must be replaced by the image of a partner, assistant, and expert capable of building a constructive dialogue. But how do we move from abstract expectations to concrete actions? The answer lies in creating and implementing clear, understandable rules of conduct that become the foundation of a new professional identity.

Why Do We Need Rules of Conduct?

In conditions of constant change and information noise, a person faces a huge number of expectations: from management, colleagues, and subordinates. As the speaker notes, this creates a colossal cognitive load and can lead to internal conflicts. Rules of conduct solve several tasks at once:

• Reducing cognitive load. Clear rules work as heuristics — simplified action algorithms. In a stressful situation, a specialist does not need to waste time thinking about what to do — they act according to a predetermined scenario. This reduces anxiety and prevents analysis paralysis.
• Forming identity. Rules give meaning to actions and help specialists realize their role in the company. They create a sense of belonging to a professional community with shared values.
• Ensuring predictability. People like consistency. When production workers know what to expect from an occupational safety specialist, the level of trust in them increases significantly.

How to Create Rules That Work?

The presentation details the process of creating and implementing rules of conduct at Nornickel. The key principle is that rules should not be handed down "from the top down." They must be developed by the employees themselves to become "their own" rather than "someone else's."

• Actualizing the problem. The first step is realizing the need for change. Employees must understand why old behavioral models no longer work and why new rules are needed.
• Joint development. Rules are generated by working groups, discussed, and adjusted. At Nornickel, this process culminated in a large-scale vote, resulting in the approval of 9 basic rules.
• Total immersion. Approving the rules is just the beginning. It is necessary to conduct training sessions and immersive training with the analysis of real situations so that people not only learn the rules but also feel them in practice.
• Outward broadcasting. Not only HSE function employees but all production departments should know about the new rules. This creates a system of mutual expectations and responsibility.

Evaluating Effectiveness and Dealing with Resistance

Any changes inevitably face resistance: from denial and anger to bargaining and, finally, acceptance. The speaker emphasizes the importance of continuous work with personnel, explaining meanings, and demonstrating personal examples by managers.

To evaluate the effectiveness of implementing the rules at Nornickel, various tools are used: employee self-assessment, function ratings by production, as well as large-scale personnel opinion surveys. The results show a positive dynamic: the level of trust in the HSE function is growing, and the safety culture is moving to a new level.

What You Will Learn from This Webinar:

• How do cognitive biases affect the perception of the occupational safety specialist's role?
• Why do other people's thoughts and rules work worse than your own?
• How to develop and implement rules of conduct that will be accepted by employees?
• Which tools for evaluating the effectiveness of changes are the most indicative?
• How to deal with personnel resistance when implementing new behavioral standards?