Communication and Employee Engagement in Developing a Safety Culture

Context: Why Engagement is the Foundation of Safety Culture

Developing a safety culture is impossible without the active participation of employees at all levels. Ekaterina Gemberova, Head of the HSE Systems Development Department at OTEKO, shares her experience in transforming approaches to training, motivation, and communication in a large industrial company. The presentation details practical steps for creating a unified information field and bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Training: From Theory to Practice

The speaker analyzes the problem of training programs being disconnected from real production conditions. Often, internal trainers within the HR structure lose touch with current safety challenges. To solve this problem, the following steps are proposed:

• Close interaction between trainers and HSE specialists: joint updating of programs based on real incidents.
• Supervision tool: HSE specialists attend training sessions, evaluating the presentation of the material and its applicability.
• Field internships for trainers: immersion in the work of an HSE specialist (line walkarounds, investigations) to understand production specifics.

In addition, HSE specialists are engaged as freelance instructors for practical courses (defensive driving, first aid), which contributes to their professional development and improves communication skills.

Motivation and Communication: Creating an Information Field

Any implementation of a new safety tool must be accompanied by a large-scale information campaign. The speaker demonstrates by example how the company uses various communication channels:

• Safety months (targeted audits): focus on the systemic causes of incidents, followed by rewarding the most active managers with themed gifts.
• "I Have an Idea!" program: engaging employees in the improvement process, which increases the value of the implemented changes.
• Game and competitive formats: professional skills competitions ("Best in Industrial Safety") and team relays ("Safe Port"), covering various safety areas.
• Challenge "Champion's Belt": an annual award to the leading department based on an integrated assessment indicator of the safety management system, fostering healthy competition.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to bridge the gap between training programs and real production practice?
• Which non-financial motivation tools are most effective for employee engagement?
• How to organize targeted safety audits and make them effective?
• How to use competitive mechanics (relays, contests) to increase interest in training?