Development and implementation of the "Production Control" practice within the manager's work standard implementation project

Context: why technology doesn't solve all safety problems

In the early 2000s, the coal industry faced a high level of occupational injuries. In response, companies, including SUEK-Kuzbass, invested heavily in upgrading equipment, introducing new gas protection and interlocking systems, and purchasing modern personal protective equipment. These measures reduced injuries threefold by eliminating the technical causes of incidents. However, by 2020, statistics again showed an increase in incidents. The speaker analyzes the reasons for this phenomenon: 90% of incidents are related to unsafe actions of employees, and only 10% to unsafe conditions. It became obvious that to further reduce injuries, it is necessary to work with people's behavior and change their attitude towards safety.

Manager's work standard as a tool for culture change

To change employee behavior, it is necessary to start with managers. The presentation details an approach in which new safety tools are integrated into the standard, routine work of line managers. This makes safety control a habit rather than an additional burden. The "Manager's Work Standard" project forms specific actions that a manager must regularly perform to broadcast the safety culture to all levels of the company.

Production control: from formality to system

Production control (PC) within the new standard is not a one-time event, but an integrated system of prompt response to changes in the situation. The speaker shows by example how PC builds a system of barriers preventing deviations and includes active control by engineering and technical personnel (ETP). An important element is the responsibility of department heads for risks and the analysis of the root causes of deviations, for example, using the "5 Whys" method.

Four steps of the production control algorithm

• Planning: developing risk registers and forming work plans to prevent incidents.
• Identifying deviations: checklist control, internal audits, and behavioral safety audits (BSA).
• Analysis: studying the causes of repeated violations and prescriptions from regulatory authorities to move from recording to systemic work.
• Correction: monitoring the effectiveness of the measures taken and reviewing the results at industrial safety committees.

Training and digitalization: how to ensure standard adoption

For the successful implementation of the standard, the company trained internal trainers from among the ETP, using practical training with simulation of real activities. This significantly increased the level of material assimilation. In addition, the company is moving to a digital format for recording deviations: mining foremen use smartphones with loaded checklists, the data from which goes directly into information systems (for example, "Insight"). This ensures the promptness and transparency of control.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to integrate production control into the daily work of line managers?
• Why doesn't equipment upgrading guarantee the complete elimination of injuries?
• How to properly analyze the root causes of safety requirement violations?
• What steps are necessary for the successful implementation of the manager's work standard?
• How does the digitalization of checklists increase the effectiveness of production control?