HSE Strategy: How Not to Put Safety on Pause When the Storm Hits

In conditions of economic turbulence and cost optimization, industrial safety is often perceived as an expense item that can be temporarily reduced. However, a crisis is not a reason to put occupational safety on pause, but a unique window of opportunity for radical changes. In his presentation, Vladimir Stepanov, HSE Director at OTEKO JSC, explains how to use instability to build an effective risk management system that would seem impossible in calm times.

The Principle of Hypercompensation: From Long-Term Strategies to Short Sprints

Rigid five-year strategies stop working in stormy conditions. The speaker suggests applying the principle of hypercompensation borrowed from sports: the system grows and strengthens only by overcoming stress. Instead of trying to maintain non-working regulations, the focus shifts to flexibility and maneuverability.

In practice, this means transitioning to short sprints and concentrating on the top 5 critical risks that can lead to severe injuries or production shutdowns. The implementation of changes follows the Agile model: minimum viable products (MVPs) are tested in production, and if successful, they are quickly scaled, while in case of failure, they are promptly adjusted.

Smart Savings: How to Implement Projects Without Your Own Budget

Cheap safety kills staff motivation, but how do you develop a culture if HSE budgets are frozen? The presentation details the mechanism of cross-functional financing — using the budgets of adjacent departments by demonstrating their direct benefits.

• Case with mobile lifts: justifying the purchase of hydraulic lifts through the maintenance directorate. The argumentation was based on accelerating repair work and equipment mobility, which simultaneously resolved critical safety issues when working at heights.
• Case with dedusting chambers: installing equipment for cleaning workwear in a dusty production environment (coal and sulfur transshipment) at the expense of the production shop's budget. The result is clean technology for the shop and an increased level of comfort and safety for workers.

Digitalization of Routine and Focus on Line Personnel

During a crisis, paper instructions give way to the team's developed reflexes. To free up time for real work with people, routine processes and excessive document flow must be digitized. The speaker shows by example how abandoning duplicating processes allows redirecting resources to the development of behavioral safety.

The key task of the current stage is descending to the level of line personnel and workers. At the same time, the drivers of the safety culture are not occupational safety specialists, but direct supervisors on site, while the HSE department acts as moderators and methodologists.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to justify safety investments to adjacent departments and use their budgets?
• Why do rigid long-term strategies give way to an Agile approach in occupational safety?
• How to identify the top 5 critical risks and focus limited resources on them?
• Which routine processes need to be digitized first to free up managers' time?
• How to involve line management in the direct management of safety culture in the workplace?