Safe Workspace

The "Safe Workspace" Tool as Part of the Business System

Integrating HSE issues into the overall business system of an enterprise is a natural stage in the development of production culture. Nikolay Denisov, Business System Development Director at Kemerovo Azot, shares practical experience in implementing the "Safe Workspace" (SWS) tool. This approach allows not only monitoring compliance with standards but also engaging personnel at all levels in the process of continuous improvement of working conditions.

The presentation details the journey from pilot projects to scaling across all structural divisions of the plant. The speaker demonstrates by example how the tool has evolved, adapting to the real needs of production and feedback from employees.

Implementation Methodology: From Diagnostics to Target State

The SWS implementation process is built on a clear methodology that ensures a systematic approach to assessing and improving workplaces:

• Diagnostics and zoning: The shop floor is divided into separate workspaces, and a general SWS map is formed. This helps structure the work and set priorities.
• Selecting a pilot area: Priority is given to zones with maximum foot traffic, high personnel engagement in improvement processes, and the highest number of issued HSE prescriptions. This approach ensures that efforts are directed where they will have the greatest impact on risk reduction.
• Piloting and assessment: An initial audit is conducted using a special safety radar, an action plan is developed, non-conformities are eliminated, followed by a final walkthrough. The target indicator is achieving at least 75% on the SWS radar.

Evolution of the SWS Radar: From Four Steps to Comprehensive Coverage

The speaker analyzes how the initial four-point checklist transformed into a comprehensive assessment tool. Initially, the radar included information support, training, fire safety, and the elimination of non-conformities. However, practice showed the need to expand the criteria.

By the end of 2023, the radar covered eight areas, including the maintenance of the territory, amenity rooms, ecology, and the safety of loading and unloading operations. An important milestone was the addition of an electrical safety block in the spring of 2024, which was a response to feedback from department heads. At the same time, all radar items have equal weight, which eliminates the possibility of formally achieving high indicators by implementing only "expensive" measures.

Partnership of Functions and Abandoning the Punitive Approach

A key success factor for SWS was a paradigm shift in the interaction between production, the HSE department, and the business system development directorate. All walkthroughs are conducted exclusively by a commission, with representatives from all three parties. Action plans are developed jointly, ensuring they are realistic and feasible.

A fundamental decision was the refusal to issue prescriptions based on the results of SWS walkthroughs. Identified non-conformities are recorded as observations, for which a remediation plan is developed. This reduces personnel resistance and shifts the focus from finding someone to blame to solving problems.

Digitalization and Management Engagement

To ensure process transparency, an SWS page was created on the corporate portal, where every employee can see the status of any area and the results of recent walkthroughs. Currently, a pilot project is underway to integrate SWS with an electronic walkthrough system using mobile devices and NFC tags, which will automate the recording of observations and the monitoring of their elimination.

An important element of the system is the quarterly commission walkthroughs involving top management, including the CEO. This demonstrates leadership commitment to safety issues and motivates personnel to maintain the achieved results.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to select priority areas for implementing HSE improvements?
• How to avoid duplicating requirements when multiple production culture assessment systems exist?
• Why abandoning weight coefficients in checklists makes the assessment more objective?
• How to build partnerships between production and the HSE department without using prescriptions?
• How does the digitalization of walkthroughs simplify the monitoring of non-conformity elimination?