Internal HSE Management System Development Team

Why the Classic HSE Department Struggles with Development

One of the key problems in industrial safety management is the overload of specialized professionals with operational activities. Inspections, incident investigations, and reporting take up most of their time, leaving no resources for systemic development. At the same time, an analysis of occupational injuries shows that up to 90% of accidents occur due to organizational reasons, and in every second case, an underestimation of risks by the victim themselves is recorded. This indicates that traditional barriers do not work, and the system requires a qualitative transformation.

In his presentation, Andrey Silantyev analyzes a practical case of creating a dedicated internal team for the development of the HSE management system at a large metallurgical enterprise (the Siberia division of EVRAZ). The business faced a massive task: to cover more than 60 departments and 23,000 employees with a risk management project, ensuring a sustainable reduction in the Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) in the long term.

Hybrid Approach: Consulting Plus Internal Expertise

To implement large-scale changes, a hybrid format was chosen. At the initial stage, external consulting expertise was involved for a quick start, but an internal development service was formed in parallel. This made it possible not only to implement new tools but also to ensure their viability after the consultants left.

The key success factor was the principle of staffing the new structure. The 25-person team was recruited exclusively from specialists with real production experience — at a position no lower than a foreman. The competition was five people per spot. This approach guaranteed that development specialists understand the specifics of work processes and know how safety tools will work in practice, not just on paper.

Integration of Risks into Business Processes and Barrier Control

The speaker examines in detail the process of building an annual risk management cycle. The main achievement was the synchronization of risk assessment with the enterprise's budget campaign. Measures to mitigate critical risks ceased to be just entries in hazard registers — they began to receive real funding and be implemented.

Special attention in the report is paid to the analysis of mistakes. In particular, the speaker shows by example why the attempt to implement barrier effectiveness control using paper media and Excel spreadsheets proved ineffective. Practice has proven that an information platform and mobile solutions are critically necessary for the viability of such tools.

Solving the Talent Shortage and Transforming the Function

The created development service unexpectedly solved another systemic problem — the shortage of qualified personnel in classic HSE management. The department became an effective platform for internships and the adaptation of specialists. Understanding a clear career track through a system of personnel committees made it possible to increase the prestige of the profession: alumni of the development service subsequently headed HSE functions in individual business segments.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to justify to management the need to create a dedicated HSE development service?
• By what criteria should production personnel be selected for the internal risk management team?
• How to link the results of occupational risk assessment with the company's budgeting process?
• Why are paper-based barrier control tools doomed to fail and how to avoid this?
• How to use the development service to overcome the talent shortage in the field of occupational safety?