Synergy of Safety Culture and Production

From Control to Synergy: Evolution of Safety Culture

In modern conditions of turbulence and economic challenges, classic control methods in occupational health and safety (HSE) and industrial safety are no longer the sole drivers of efficiency. Speaker Vladimir Varlamov emphasizes that implementing standards (from OHSAS to ISO) is only a small part of the work. It is much more important to build processes where safety becomes an integral part of production efficiency. The presentation details an approach in which safety culture, production culture, and corporate culture are united into a single system. This allows evaluating efficiency not only through direct financial indicators but also through the prevention of potential losses.

Regular Management Practices and Behavioral Audits

One of the key tools the speaker analyzes in practice is the behavioral safety audit (BSA). For this tool to work and not cause rejection by management, it must be adapted to current realities. Including elements of production control in BSAs saves resources and time, as the same people evaluate both risks and production processes. Targeted BSAs aimed at specific enterprise risks and the active involvement of safety culture representatives help build effective feedback with employees. It is important not just to collect information about risks, but to show people that their observations lead to real changes.

Digitalization as a Tool to Improve Efficiency

Stepan, Director of Safety Culture Development, continues the topic, focusing on digital tools. Under limited budgets, the company relies on maximizing the use of already implemented platforms. Using positioning systems, aerogas control, and electronic medical examinations as examples, the speaker shows how their functionality can be expanded without significant costs. For instance, a driver alertness monitoring system can be integrated with other transport systems to prevent accidents (shutting down equipment or triggering an alarm if the driver falls asleep). And data from electronic medical examinations can be used not only for work clearance but also for in-depth analytics of personnel health.

Overcoming Barriers When Implementing Changes

Any innovations face resistance. The presentation highlights three main barriers: rejection of new tools, lack of time among employees, and skepticism due to past negative experiences. To solve these problems, a comprehensive approach is proposed: holding strategic sessions, abandoning ineffective old practices (for example, replacing punitive committees with industrial safety development committees), and clearly digitizing intermediate results. It is important for managers to be patient and not demand instant results, giving the system time to adapt.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to combine safety culture and production culture to achieve a synergistic effect?
• How to transform behavioral safety audits (BSA) so they bring real benefits to production?
• How to maximize the use of already implemented digital systems (positioning, medical examinations) on a limited budget?
• What barriers arise when implementing new industrial safety tools and how to successfully overcome them?