Safety Ambassadors: From Denial to Awareness

From Mistrust to Partnership: Why Production Needs Safety Ambassadors

The traditional perception of an HSE specialist in production is often reduced to the role of a controller and supervisor. This creates a barrier of mistrust: workers hide problems, and safety initiatives are perceived as imposed from above. Dmitry Mokryshev, Chief Specialist of the Occupational Safety Coordination Department at Kola MMC (Norilsk Nickel Group), analyzes a practical case of overcoming this barrier by creating an institute of safety ambassadors.

In 2024, an analysis revealed alarming statistics: while hundreds of violations were identified, the number of voluntary appeals by workers to HSE specialists was zero. The reason was negative beliefs and fear of punishment. To change the situation, the "Safety Ambassadors" project was launched — an initiative to involve caring employees in the risk management process.

Who Are Ambassadors and How to Motivate Them

An ambassador is a voluntary assistant, an "HSE volunteer" who is interested in creating a safe environment for themselves and their colleagues. The presentation details the process of selecting and motivating such employees. Out of 63 applications submitted, a core group of 14 people was formed.

Specific motivational tools were used to attract participants:

• Professional development: gaining unique experience in HSE, participating in strategic sessions and quizzes.
• Financial incentives: additional remuneration for participating in the project.
• Experience sharing: visits to neighboring production sites to study best practices and identify barriers.
• Media presence and career growth: the opportunity to prove oneself, forming a talent pool (two ambassadors have already moved to work in the Industrial Safety Department).

Five Areas of Work: From Communication to Mentoring

The speaker shows by example how the work of ambassadors was structured into five key tracks, each solving a specific task:

1. Communication

The goal is to promote a safety culture through media formats. Ambassadors independently shoot and edit videos (for example, on behavioral audits or isolation of energy sources), which are published in corporate channels. This makes safety information lively and understandable for workers.

2. Training and Development

Aimed at developing public speaking skills and overcoming communication barriers. Ambassadors learn to competently convey information, acting as internal trainers and a link between production and the specialized department.

3. Methodology and Consulting

Participants in this track help colleagues understand documentation, participate in the visualization of HSE instructions and risk registers. A practical result is participation in exoskeleton tests, which optimized the enterprise's costs.

4. Fire Safety

Ambassadors conduct autonomous and joint (with managers) rounds of departments. Over the year, more than 30 rounds were made and about 200 violations were identified, including risks when working with contractors.

5. Prevention and Mentoring

Deep immersion in production processes. Instead of formal prescriptions, a safety analysis of specific operations at workplaces is carried out. Identified critical risks are worked out together with mechanical services to install reliable barriers.

Practical Results and Image Change

The project showed measurable effectiveness: half of the 62 planned events were implemented. Among the bright achievements are the development of a navigation system using QR codes for quickly finding self-help showers and evacuation routes, as well as the modernization of the aspiration system in one of the workshops.

The main result is a change in attitude. The number of appeals to HSE specialists increased from zero to 43 recorded and resolved requests. Workers began to independently identify risks and seek help in eliminating them, seeing HSE specialists as partners, not controllers.

What You Will Learn from This Webinar:

• How to overcome workers' mistrust of the HSE service and build partnerships?
• What motivation tools work to attract employees to the safety ambassadors project?
• How to structure the work of HSE volunteers in specific areas (tracks)?
• How to use media formats (videos) to promote a safety culture by the workers themselves?
• How involving ambassadors helps identify hidden risks and optimize production processes?