How to Host an HSE Day: Expert Cases

From HSE Day to Safety Month: Corporate Culture Transformation

The traditional approach to World Day for Safety and Health at Work (April 28) often comes down to formal events. However, the development of the industry requires deeper employee engagement. Transitioning from one-off campaigns to a full-scale "HSE Month" allows not only for raising employee awareness but also for building a sustainable safety culture. During the webinar, Nikita Vildt, HSE Director at AKKERMANN CEMENT, analyzes practical tools for gamification, motivation, and leadership that help make safety issues a part of the daily lives of employees and their families.

Digital Engagement: Marathons and Visual Content

Using familiar digital platforms is becoming one of the key tools for employee engagement. The speaker demonstrates, using a safety marathon as an example, how mass training can be organized without interrupting production:

• Messenger Marathons: Conducting surveys and creative tasks via WhatsApp and Telegram. This ensures maximum reach (up to 3,000 employees), as the format is convenient and familiar. Points are awarded for correct answers and unconventional approaches, and winners receive valuable prizes.
• Motivational Videos: Creating high-quality video content aimed at social development and leadership. Visualizing real processes (for example, "risk hunting") works more effectively than dry instructions.
• Thematic Banners: Placing visual materials on the factory premises. Banners are adapted to current events, such as preventing child injuries before September 1.

Integrating Family Values into Safety Culture

Safety should not end at the factory gates. The presentation details an approach to training employees' children, which indirectly affects the awareness of the workers themselves:

• First Aid Training: Practical classes for children using mannequins and dressing materials. Issuing personalized certificates increases the significance of the event for the child and builds basic life-saving skills.
• Practical Traffic Rules Learning: Organizing improvised driving towns with road markings, traffic lights, and electric cars. Issuing "children's driver's licenses" reinforces knowledge and evokes an emotional response from parents, encouraging them to be role models for their children.

Working with Contractors and the Professional Community

The company's responsibility extends to contractors as well. The speaker emphasizes the importance of not only control but also encouragement:

• Rating and Targeted Awards: Contractors are evaluated throughout the year based on audits and identified violations. The best organization receives not just a certificate, but a targeted voucher for purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE). This ensures that the funds will be spent specifically on improving the safety level of workers.
• Industry Conferences: An annual gathering of HSE specialists in the regions of presence to discuss controversial issues (for example, changes in training legislation). This helps to develop unified approaches and share experiences.

From Rules to Principles: The Role of a Leader

The final stage of culture formation is transforming the attitude towards rules. Human psychology is such that people often want to bypass imposed rules. Therefore, the company is moving from 12 life-saving rules to the "Life Principles of a Safety Leader."

A principle is the internal mindset of a manager, their personal commitment to HSE issues, and zero tolerance for violations. The public signing of such principles by top management on stage makes them a guarantor of safety for their subordinates and sets the right tone for the entire team.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to organize a safety marathon in messengers and achieve high employee engagement?
• Which formats of training for employees' children are most effective for building a safety culture?
• How to properly build a motivation system for contractors so that incentives work to reduce injury rates?
• What is the fundamental difference between safety "rules" and "principles," and how does this affect worker behavior?
• How to use visual content (videos and banners) to promote HSE leadership?