Safety Barriers: A Tool for Risk Reduction

Modern HSE management systems require a shift from formal control to a risk-oriented approach. Tools that allow targeted action on the root causes of incidents are becoming the foundation of industrial safety. In his presentation, Arman Abaideldinov, HSE Director at PAVLIK JSC, analyzes the methodology of applying safety barriers — an approach that requires no additional budget but allows for a 28% reduction in incident rates.

Algorithm for working with safety barriers

The essence of the methodology lies in identifying systemic failures and developing measures aimed at eliminating them. The speaker demonstrates by example how to build this process step by step:

• Training line engineering and technical personnel (ITR). Foremen and mechanics learn to conduct inspections using a universal checklist, evaluating four criteria: personnel competence, procedure compliance, equipment serviceability, and working conditions. This gives inspectors a clear focus at the workplace.
• Data analysis for the period. Inspection results are consolidated into a single electronic system (which eliminates the formalism of paper logs) and grouped by violation categories.
• Prioritization. From the entire array, the three most frequently recurring risks are highlighted, towards which the main efforts of the department will be directed in the next quarter.

Five types of barriers and evaluating their effectiveness

Safety barriers are developed to eliminate the identified priority risks. The presentation details the classification of these measures:

• Organizational and managerial — regulating the interaction of production services and assigning areas of responsibility to specific managers and executors.
• Technical — physical elimination of the hazard (restoring fencing, installing protective covers). The speaker emphasizes that this is the most effective type of barrier, as it eliminates the very possibility of worker contact with the hazard source.
• Intellectual and visual — personnel training, analyzing real incident videos, as well as using modern visualization tools, such as gobo light projectors to demarcate hazardous areas.

Each measure is formulated according to the SMART principle. If, at the end of the next reporting period, the statistics of relevant violations do not decrease, the barrier is deemed ineffective, and the reasons for its failure are analyzed in detail.

The "Referent" system: engagement through responsibility

The second tool presented in the report aims to transform the workers' own attitude towards industrial safety issues. The "Referent" system transfers part of the briefing and control functions to ordinary personnel.

• Worker-instructor. According to a pre-arranged schedule, one of the workers conducts a five-minute safety briefing for their shift using prepared talking points. This stimulates independent immersion in the material and generates healthy professional interest within the team.
• Joint audit. After the briefing, the "referent" conducts a workplace inspection together with the foreman. The experienced eye of a worker helps identify hidden technological risks that might not be obvious to a line manager, for which a reward system is provided.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to teach line managers to see real risks rather than look for formal violations?
• How to properly combine technical, organizational, and visual barriers to achieve maximum effect?
• What to do if a developed safety barrier does not work in practice and violation statistics do not drop?
• How to motivate ordinary employees to actively participate in finding and eliminating industrial hazards?
• Why digitizing inspection results is critical for effective risk management?