Safety Culture: How Practical Training Changes Employee Behavior

The Hidden Potential of Technical Training

In the development of industrial culture, a gap often arises between specialized HSE briefings and the actual technical skills of employees. Traditionally, training programs for mechanics, power engineers, and metrologists focus exclusively on professional competencies, leaving safety issues outside the scope of practical exercises. In his presentation, Mikhail Omelchuk examines an approach where technical training becomes a full-fledged tool for changing employee behavior and fostering a conscious attitude towards risks.

The creation of specialized training complexes, such as a project for maintenance personnel, allows shifting the focus from theoretical knowledge to the practice of specific skills. This solves two tasks at once: it reduces the number of errors leading to equipment downtime and minimizes the risks of injury during routine operations.

Integrating Safety into Work Operations

The speaker demonstrates the mechanics of implementing a safety culture using the example of a basic program for maintenance fitters — the disassembly and assembly of flange connections. Instead of separating HSE into an isolated module disconnected from practice, safety elements are seamlessly integrated into every stage of the technical task:

• Risk assessment before each exercise. Hazard analysis is conducted not only at the beginning of the training day but also before every approach to the equipment. This forms a strong habit of thinking about potential emergencies before starting work.
• Performing actions with commentary. Trainees verbalize every step they take. This approach eliminates automaticity and forces the worker to consciously evaluate the safety of their actions in the moment.
• Situational selection of PPE. Various conditions are simulated during practice (e.g., working with neutral or aggressive environments). The employee must independently analyze the input data and select the appropriate protective gear, as well as check its condition before use.
• Mutual control using checklists. Observing colleagues' work and providing correct feedback develops the skill of identifying unsafe acts and conditions, which is then transferred to the real production environment.

Methodology is More Important Than Equipment

Investments in the material and technical base and the purchase of simulators do not guarantee a change in employee behavior. If the training ground is not supported by a competent educational and methodological component, it risks turning into an exhibition museum. The presentation details the principle of problematization: until an adult learner realizes a personal need for new knowledge (for example, by understanding that their usual, long-standing way of working carries hidden threats), any theory will be perceived as a formality.

A successful program requires a metered delivery of theory, an emphasis on group dynamics, and the duplication of equipment to eliminate downtime for training teams. In addition, the role of internal trainers is critically important — experienced mentors from among former or current employees capable of broadcasting the correct behavioral models.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to integrate occupational risk assessment into the standard training of fitters and mechanics?
• Why does performing practical tasks with out-loud commentary effectively reduce injuries?
• How to organize the space of a training complex taking into account group dynamics?
• What pitfalls arise when selecting and duplicating equipment for training purposes?
• How to use checklists to develop mutual control skills in work teams?