Improving the Efficiency of Safety Processes, Identifying and Developing Internal System Reserves

Evolution of Safety Management: From Disjointed Functions to a Unified Process

In the modern realities of large industrial companies, occupational safety management often faces the problem of blurred responsibility and duplication of functions. When local specialists report to production managers, their focus inevitably shifts toward fulfilling the production plan, while safety issues fade into the background. In his presentation, Alexey Toshchev, Director of the Occupational Safety, Industrial, Fire Safety, and Environmental Protection, Civil Defense and Emergency Situations Department at JSC PGK, analyzes a practical case of centralizing the HSE function and transitioning to process management.

Using his company as an example, the speaker shows how uniting specialists into a single department and assigning a specific process to each (instead of managing 2-5 areas simultaneously) radically changes work efficiency. This approach not only improves manageability but also builds deep expertise among process leaders, who are now responsible for the methodology and results across the entire company.

Unification and Standardization: How to Get Rid of Routine

One of the key problems of a decentralized system is the proliferating local regulatory framework. The speaker gives an example: 21 specialists in branches can develop 21 unique orders for the exact same requirement. This leads to colossal labor costs for updating and control.

The solution was large-scale unification: the development of over 100 standard document templates, which reduced the number of local regulations by 6.5 times. Standardization also affected control processes — the introduction of unified checklists for facility inspections made it possible to involve less experienced employees in audits without losing quality, and also gave production workers a tool for self-control.

Risk Management as the Basis for Planning and Budgeting

The presentation details the approach to work planning based on risk assessment. The speaker emphasizes that specialists often get lost in the flow of tasks and engage in "process for the sake of process." Implementing a system for hazard identification and risk assessment allows for clear prioritization.

Measures are planned based on the risk level: high and unacceptable risks are eliminated first. This ensures harmonious medium- and long-term planning, as well as accurate budgeting. As a result, errors in budget formation decreased by 14%, and deviations in its execution are only 4-5%.

Digitalization of Routine Processes: Freeing Up Resources for Real Work

Alexey Toshchev pays special attention to the automation of routine operations that take up the lion's share of specialists' time. The company digitized the processes of conducting medical examinations, uploading results of the special assessment of working conditions (SAWC), issuing work permits, and conducting briefings.

• Automation of medical examinations and SAWC: processing time was reduced by tens and hundreds of times, eliminating manual data entry.
• Electronic work permit: the system prevents assigning a worker without the necessary permits and training, critically improving the safety of high-risk work.
• Digital briefings: using an app with videos and tests neutralizes the factor of incompetence or a formal approach by the instructor, ensuring consistently high training quality.
• Monitoring responsible persons: integration with the HR system automatically highlights the dismissal of a responsible employee, signaling the need to appoint a new one.

The implementation of these tools increased the efficiency of the safety system by more than 30%, allowing the freed-up time to be directed toward developing proactive tools, working "in the field," and developing a safety culture.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to painlessly centralize the HSE function and transition to process management?
• How does the unification of local regulations reduce labor costs by 6 times?
• How to use risk assessment for accurate budget planning and prioritization?
• What digital tools prevent untrained personnel from being admitted to hazardous work?
• How does the automation of briefings help fight formalism and improve training quality?