How to Avoid a Fatal Error in a Critical Situation and What Does Practice Have to Do With It?

From Theory to Practice: Why Standard Drills Don't Always Work

In real production conditions, any unforeseen event puts a person in a state of stress. As Roman Portnyagin, Head of the Incident Investigation Process Development Department at Nornickel, notes, stress activates the brain's amygdala, reducing the activity of the prefrontal cortex responsible for logic. This leads to so-called tunnel vision and impulsive decisions. The probability of making a mistake in a critical situation increases by 70%, which can lead to fatal consequences, increased damage, and even loss of life.

The speaker explains that traditional emergency drills, conducted just "to tick a box" or in greenhouse conditions, often do not yield the desired effect. Workers know the theory, but at the moment of real danger, they get lost. Incident analysis shows that in 85% of cases, the cause is the human factor: people did not know how to act, did not have clear instructions, or were not prepared for stress.

Individual Approach: DRA Workshop

To solve this problem, the company developed a unique tool — the "DRA Workshop" (Dynamic Risk Assessment). Unlike mass exercises, this workshop is aimed at the individual training of each worker directly at their workplace. The program takes only 15 minutes, without interfering with the production process.

The presentation details the process of conducting the workshop. The trainer simulates an emergency situation (for example, equipment fire, rockfall, or a colleague's injury) and asks the worker to physically perform the necessary actions: get a fire extinguisher, put on a self-rescuer, find a tourniquet in the first aid kit. This allows identifying hidden problems. For example, a fire extinguisher might be tied with wire, and a tourniquet in the first aid kit might be indistinguishable from a dressing packet. Such "trifles" cost lives in a real situation.

Feedback and Bringing Actions to Automatism

A key element of the workshop is developmental feedback. The trainer does not just point out mistakes but helps the worker understand what was done well and what needs to be changed. After eliminating the identified shortcomings (for example, replacing the first aid kit or changing the fire extinguisher mount), a repeated drill is conducted to consolidate the skill.

The speaker shows by example that the goal of such drills is to bring workers' actions to automatism so that in a stressful situation they act reflexively, minimizing damage and saving lives.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How does stress physiologically affect a person's ability to make decisions in a critical situation?
• Why do standard emergency drills often prove ineffective in practice?
• How to organize individual 15-minute workplace drills without interrupting production?
• What hidden risks are revealed during the physical practice of emergency scenarios (using fire extinguishers and first aid kits as examples)?
• How to properly give developmental feedback to a worker after a drill?