Open Dialogue with Ekaterina Rogova: How to Reduce Severe Injuries by 70% in 2 Years
Safety Culture Transformation: From Formalism to Real Results
Reducing severe and fatal injuries by 70% in two years is not just a number, but the result of a systemic transformation of approaches to HSE. In conditions where many companies face a formal attitude towards safety, the experience of implementing new tools becomes critically important for the development of the industry. In an open dialogue, Ekaterina Rogova, Project Manager for the Development of Production Culture at Metalloinvest, discusses how these indicators were achieved and what challenges had to be faced along the way.
The Myth of the Human Factor
The speaker emphasizes a fundamental position: the human factor does not exist. What is commonly called an employee's mistake is most often the result of imperfections in the system, conditions, or work organization. If an incident investigation concludes with "personal negligence," it means the root cause has not been found.
The presentation details an example with wheel chocks for heavy dump trucks. Workers did not use them not out of negligence, but because the weight of the chock reached 40 kg. The solution was to purchase composite chocks weighing 7 – 10 kg. This case clearly demonstrates: safety must be convenient. If following the rules is physically difficult or illogical, they will be violated.
Phased Implementation of Changes: From the "Alphabet" to Complex Systems
Transformation cannot happen instantly. The speaker shows, using her company as an example, that the implementation of new practices must be sequential. First, managers were taught basic things — how to properly conduct line walkarounds and communicate with workers. Only after this did the implementation of the risk management system begin.
- Condition norm: the ability to see risks in a static environment.
- Work norm: risk assessment during operations.
- Leader norm: involving foremen and line managers in proactive safety management.
This approach avoids overloading personnel and a formal attitude towards new tools.
Engaging Managers and Overcoming Resistance
Any bottom-up changes are doomed to fail without the support of top management. Ekaterina Rogova notes that the involvement of line managers is only possible when top management openly broadcasts the priority of safety. For example, rewarding employees for the justified stoppage of unsafe work.
To overcome local resistance, rating works effectively. Comparing departments and managers creates a competitive effect. At the same time, it is important not to punish the laggards, but to give the floor to the rating leaders so they can share their successful experience. Another effective method is the public recognition of the merits of even the most skeptical managers, which helps to establish a constructive dialogue.
Risk Management on a Limited Budget
The lack of funds for large-scale equipment modernization is a common problem. The speaker analyzes the approach to risk prioritization. It is impossible to eliminate all threats simultaneously. It is important to classify them and act in stages:
- See it, fix it immediately: solving minor problems at the site manager level.
- Compensatory measures: if a risk cannot be eliminated immediately (for example, due to the need for a major overhaul), temporary measures are applied, such as issuing additional PPE or reducing output. The enterprise management is responsible for this.
- Equipment shutdown: for critical risks requiring serious investments, the decision is made by the head of the company.
What you will learn from this webinar:
- How to stop blaming incidents on the "human factor" and find real root causes?
- Why should HSE training be practice-oriented and take place directly in the workshops?
- How to use rating to engage line managers without applying fines?
- What to do if the modernization budget is limited and the equipment is outdated?
- How to build a cascading communication system so that risk information reaches from the worker to the CEO?
Comments 3
What system maintains the balance of Awards to prevent personnel from acting only for gifts and certificates? Is this documented in the Incentive Procedure?
In our non-material motivation, we have a "free" nomination where we dilute such people. For example, we reward the supervisor who identified the most risks for openness, the most "prickly" foreman for accepting a refusal to perform unsafe work (although in practice, nothing depended on them in that case).
Can we see your checklist for line walks?
Unfortunately, this is intellectual property that belongs not only to our team.
How can you measure safety culture using the Bradley Curve if the company is large and different departments have very different attitudes toward the safety system?
With a larger sample of respondents. For example, for every 1,000 workers, we surveyed 100.
There's no human factor, but there is internal organizational culture?
There are established processes and the cultural code of a company/enterprise/workshop, etc. The human factor is like a mosquito net with holes — it doesn't protect from insects, blocks the view, ruins aesthetics. And internal organizational culture is like the color of curtains on that window. Slightly different things.
How (besides material motivation) do you manage to maintain a mentor's interest in transferring experience and knowledge to a trainee in conditions of high staff turnover?
Ideologically, this is only possible in the context of — train your assistant and it'll be easier for you with subordinates and newcomers, they will work independently and you won't have to supervise them and redo their work/less work/more energy for home... Here, advocacy from the line manager, PR campaigns, and individual feedback will help. Humans are such unique beings that they even value material things less (or devalue them faster) than their own convenience and comfort (including psychological).
What criteria do you use to evaluate managers in your rating system?
Typically, we review criteria once every six months. And generally, all areas that are lagging — we include in the rating system. Detailed materials about the rating system have been sent to all webinar participants.
In our motivation system, are points awarded for conducting behavioral safety audits?
No, only for identified risks.
Recently we've been encountering the issue that the same workers conduct the same positive/reinforcing behavioral audits (i.e., praising a worker for safe work). It turns out workers "earn" points through this tool + the tool's effectiveness decreases. Have you encountered this and how do you think this should be addressed?
We had a similar situation with "low-quality" risks (lying around — clean up). We agreed with IT to simply manually zero out such entries. In your case, you could create a gradation — the 1st audit is worth 5 points, the 2nd — 4, the 3rd — 3, and so on, down to one point per audit.
What ways do you see to reduce workplace injuries caused by the human factor (besides training)?
We need to make safety EASY and convenient.
What would change in your organization's operations if you eliminated the concept of safety culture (i.e., stopped using it)?
I hope nothing would change))) We are transitioning to improving production culture, where safety culture is one third (Safety. Reliability. Efficiency).
How to develop a motivation system in safety culture if there's no budget for it?
For example, reward a worker for specific actions. You can send a Thank You letter stating that the worker demonstrated commitment to OHS, converted permit-to-work records to an automated Excel format, which helped reduce/improve some process. The letter can be composed in-house, printed on a color printer, a frame can also be found, and presented to the worker at a meeting. Budget — minimal, effect — maximum.
What would you advise in a situation where the cause of an accident is that a management position is held by a person who knows their subject perfectly but is not a leader? Subordinates don't listen to this person, don't follow OHS standards.
You need to find an internal driver, an informal authority in the team. For example, an experienced worker with long tenure, a senior worker, and build safety awareness around their role model behavior.
What would you do if management allocated only 1 hour per month for training?
I would switch to practical (covert) training during their shop floor visits. For example, we would go on rounds together, and when meeting workers during that time, you can demonstrate one of the practices.
Regarding corporate trainers: we trained them, but after gaining real experience, within two years almost all quit and many became business trainers..
We have similar problems. We solved it by building a career track for internal trainers: six months and they become a lead trainer, after a year — a risk specialist, after two years — we transfer them to production roles.
During the transformation, did you encounter resistance from managers? If so, how was this resistance expressed? How did you overcome it?
Every hour during the first six months of the project. The main thesis was — we lived and worked without you and your practices)))) What did we do? We included it in KPIs, gave awards, sought help from senior leaders, and conducted interviews about the value of safety with "difficult" managers.