Managing Industrial Safety Risks with Digital Solutions

Evolution of Risk Management: From the Incident Pyramid to Scenarios

Managing industrial safety in large holdings with dozens of subsidiaries is a complex task. The varying levels of technological development and safety culture across assets require a unified yet flexible approach. In his presentation, Vladimir Efimov, Head of the HSE Risk Management Program at Gazprom Neft PJSC, explains how the company transitioned from classical methods to digital risk management.

Traditional analysis of the incident pyramid proved ineffective upon detailed examination. The speaker demonstrates this using the example of falling from a height: general statistics did not allow predicting a specific incident, such as scaffolding collapse. The attempt to manage an entire risk area turned out to be an illusion. The solution was a transition to management through specific risk realization scenarios. The company's expert community formed 140 such scenarios, linking both reactive (incidents) and proactive data (violations, barrier conditions) to them. This allowed focusing management efforts on actual threats.

The Bow-Tie Method and Digitalization of Barriers

To analyze the selected risks, the company implemented the Bow-Tie method, developing its own IT solution. The speaker examines this process in detail using the example of a road traffic accident. The method allows visualizing causes (risk factors) and consequences, and most importantly, identifying proactive (preventive) and reactive (mitigating) barriers.

Since it is impossible to implement all barriers simultaneously, a methodology for ranking them was developed. Based on incident statistics and the hierarchy of control measures, the most reliable barriers are selected. Importantly, the barrier implementation process is integrated into the company's business planning and budgeting, ensuring their actual execution.

Assessing Barrier Performance: From Excel to Mobile Apps

Implementing a barrier is only the first step. It is necessary to monitor its actual performance on site. To avoid ambiguous interpretations and translate the assessment into numbers understandable to the business, the concept of a "barrier" was decomposed into specific performance criteria.

To manage a massive array of data (thousands of sites, hundreds of barriers), a mobile application was created. It allows for both independent inspections and self-assessments by subsidiaries. Data is consolidated on dashboards, providing managers with a transparent picture of the safety status in real time. In addition, a reactive assessment of barriers is conducted after incidents, allowing the system to be adjusted.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• Why the classic incident pyramid can create an illusion of risk management?
• How to transition from managing risk areas to managing specific scenarios?
• How to adapt the Bow-Tie method for a large-scale industrial company?
• What criteria to use for ranking safety barriers to prioritize implementation?
• How to digitize barrier performance monitoring and engage managers in this process?