Opening of HSE DAYS Season V

Opening of HSE DAYS Season V: A Course on Leadership and Safety Culture

The fifth anniversary season of the international HSE DAYS platform opened with a large-scale discussion on the role of top management in shaping a safety culture. Today, when occupational injury statistics remain alarming, the industry needs more than just compliance with regulations; it requires a deep transformation of mindset. That is why the key theme of the opening was top management leadership — the foundation without which real changes in production are impossible.

During the discussion, members of the safety guarantors club shared practical experience in engaging top executives in HSE issues. The speakers analyzed why the CEO's personal commitment is more important than formal procedures, how to build a dialogue with management in the language of business, and what tools help transform attitudes toward safety at all levels of the company.

Why a CEO Should Be a Safety Leader

Marina Sedykh, CEO of INK-Capital, emphasizes that safety leadership begins with personal responsibility and a human approach. For the head of a company with hazardous production facilities, caring for the lives and health of employees is not just an obligation, but an internal need.

• Risk reduction and reputation: Attention to safety directly affects the employer brand, reduces the number of claims and incidents, and improves the company's position in the industry.
• Mindset transformation: The habit of relying on chance is eradicated only through the implementation of a safety culture. This is a complex process of changing consciousness that must be initiated and supported exclusively from the "top" — by the head of the company.
• Expanding the perimeter of care: A developed safety culture inevitably extends beyond the company's staff, encompassing contractors and partners, which is critical for achieving zero injuries.

The speaker notes that the transition from a reactive approach to a proactive (creative) level of safety culture requires time and systematic work to change people's attitudes toward their own lives and health.

How to Integrate Safety into Business Processes: A Top Manager's Perspective

Dmitry Zubov, HSE Director of the Cherkizovo Group, shares his experience in transforming attitudes toward safety from the perspective of both a production director and an HSE leader. He emphasizes that safety should not be perceived as something detached from production tasks.

• Safety as an efficiency tool: To convince top management to invest time and resources in HSE, it is necessary to show how safety improves business performance. For example, demonstrating the time lost by management on investigating incidents and eliminating their consequences.
• Individual approach to managers: There is no single template for engaging top executives. The CFO needs economic justifications, the HR director needs arguments about reducing demotivation, and the operations manager needs evidence of improved process efficiency.
• Thorough preparation for dialogue: A conversation with the top executive requires an understanding of the balance of power in top management, a clear formulation of expected results, and a readiness for the step-by-step promotion of initiatives.

The presentation details an example where the realization of the value of safety came through personal experience — organizing a children's tour of the plant, which forced a review of protection standards for all employees.

Practical Tools for Engaging the Top Executive

Alexander Pivikov proposes concrete steps to build demonstrated commitment among top management. Training top management is only the first stage, which must be followed by the systematic integration of safety practices into their regular activities.

• Regular safety audits: Visiting production sites and conducting behavioral audits by the CEO or shareholder (at least once a quarter) is a critical element. This demonstrates the real involvement of management.
• The art of feedback: Providing developmental feedback to the top executive requires delicacy. It is important to hold regular one-on-one meetings, start with positive points (e.g., gratitude for visiting the site), and provide reasoned explanations for the need to follow rules (e.g., wearing a full set of PPE).
• Participation in investigations and safety days: Involving the CEO in chairing incident investigations and participating in monthly safety days forms a sustainable habit. To prepare the manager for public speaking, it is recommended to hold short preliminary meetings or prepare talking points.

The speaker shows by example how recording observations over a month helps build a constructive dialogue with the manager and step-by-step form their leadership position.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to argue the need for safety investments to the CFO and shareholders?
• What metrics and data will help prove to top management that safety improves business efficiency?
• How to properly give feedback to the CEO on compliance with HSE rules without risking your job?
• What specific steps will help involve the top executive in regular audits and incident investigations?
• How to prepare a manager for a speech on safety day so that their words resonate with the goals of the HSE department?