A group workshop on internal investigation of incidents was held for managers and employees of OTEKO services related to occupational, industrial and environmental safety at the Port of Taman. Participants discussed procedures when incidents occur, ways to determine their causes, and measures to take to eliminate and prevent them in the future. The workshop was one of the first events featuring in the OTEKO Safety Year.
Investigating incidents is an important element of a production safety management system (PSMS), as any incident is an indication of system vulnerability. During the analysis of business-trainer simulated situations, OTEKO’s specialised experts refreshed current and acquired new skills and know-how.
Special focus at the seminar was placed on effective incident investigation techniques. Including, for instance, " Timeline" — a graphic representation of accident events and conditions across the time axis. Another technique is called “Five Why’s” and is well known thanks to Sakichi Toyoda, a Japanese engineer, entrepreneur and lean manufacturing guru. This technique allows us to study the causal relationships underlying a problem. The same “why?” question is asked for each of the identified incident causes until the root cause is detected. By eliminating it, we are able to avoid the error occurring in the future and improve job safety.
A separate part of the training was devoted to the regulatory procedure for accident investigations — from its detection to the creation of an investigation committee, its work timing and scope, followed by development of corrective actions.
“Conducting training workshops is one of the bricks in building a conscious safety culture, to which OTEKO pays special attention. 2023 has been officially declared the Year of Safety at the company,” points out Alexander Pivikov, OTEKO’s Director of Industrial Safety. — To develop the safety management system, it is necessary to learn hard lessons from accidents, thus preventing their recurrence in the future. Internal investigation training is aimed at developing these competencies.“
SYNOPSIS:
A culture of safety awareness is being fostered as part of the implementation of the OTEKO Production System, — a lean management and continuous improvement concept.
In 2022, OTEKO approved the Cardinal Safety Rules that account for the most probable risks. A special emphasis in the guidelines is placed on preventing accidents in production processes, in domestic and office buildings, and during any type of transport use.
One of the first innovations is the “safety contact”: a discussion of events that can lead to accidents and developing risk reduction measures. All production meetings now begin with such a discussion.
Various activities aimed at reducing accident risks are regularly held. Thus, September 2022 saw training in safe driving workshops, and in October a permanent feedback channel on personal protective equipment and uniforms was established.
OTEKO PROFILE
OTEKO — the operator of two marine terminals at the port of Taman, for bulk and liquid bulk cargo, the largest private investor into the industrial port infrastructure of Southern Russia. The company has created and operates a world-class export hub at the port of Taman on the Black Sea coast of Krasnodar Region. The company is one of the largest taxpayers in the Krasnodar region. Over 10,000 personnel are employed by the company. OTEKO’s tax deductions form over 60% of the Taman rural settlement annual budget and 15% of Temryuksky District budget.