Annual Themes 2021: Q4 Personal Responsibility for Safety

Step Change in Safety is committed to making our sector the safest place to work by preventing predictable incidents, working with our colleagues in the industry to achieve that. With that in mind, in 2021 we will be introducing quarterly safety themes which will focus on a different topic every three months.

October to December will examine Personal Responsibility for Safety, where we will raise awareness and embed the themes of clear expectations, effective communication, planning, safety leadership, good practice in interventions, and encouraging safe behaviours.

🔺 Clear expectations and effective communication

🔺 Personal leadership and accountability

🔺 Intervention and encouraging safe behaviours

During each quarter our workgroups and support team will be producing a range of tools that will seek to engage, educate, reinforce and validate understanding. For the final quarter of 2021 the Workforce Engagement Support Team (WEST) have brought together their expertise to provide you with three new resources for embedding Personal Responsibility for Safety. The resources are in a variety of mediums which can be used as exercises and discussion prompts in a range of settings.

Personal Responsibility Safety Moment Pack

This pack contains two safety moments on incidents which occurred in the UKCS. The potential consequences of these events could have been significant.

Both incidents can be used to promote the Life Saving Rules and personal responsibility for safety. Download today.

Personal Responsibility for Safety: Close-out Film

A message from WEST senior leaders - Ronnie Kelman and Nicola Fry

As we move towards the last quarter of what we are sure you will agree has been another challenging year, it has never been more important that we take the time to look after ourselves, loved ones, friends and colleagues.

Our plea is that you take time out to reflect on what personal responsibility and work force engagement means for you. Please use the resources that WEST Workgroup have created for Q4 and take the time to review, share and engage with your colleagues. A listening ear or a call to a friend can make all the difference, particularly as we face into the long winter months when our problems can appear to be all the worse.

The sub-topics for this quarter are Clear expectations and effective communication, Personal leadership and accountability, and Intervention and encouraging safe behaviours.

We can keep each other safe and healthy by looking out for each other, taking a pause whether the task be routine or more unusual in nature and by being inquisitive.

We’ve got your back and trust that you have ours. Please be kind to each other and make the right calls, consistently.

Find out more

Visit the Workforce Engagement workgroup page.

Nicola Fry: Assurance Director; Worley

Joined up Thinking

Hydrocarbon Release Prevention - Plant Reinstatement

The story described in the film follows a scenario where a member of the work party exercises their personal responsibility for safety and stops the job.

Short Film

Safety Starts with You

A 60 second video about personal responsibility for safety.

Click here

Joined Up Thinking

Hydrocarbon release - Poor Safety Culture

The story described in the film follows a scenario where poor communication, poor control of work and poor change management resulted in a hydrocarbon release.

Click here

WEST Workgroup Co-Chairs

Stuart Mann
BP Clair Ridge HVAC Tech
BP Exploration
Stuart Mann, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technician and ESR on BP’s Clair Ridge platform in the North Sea. He became a Safety Rep in 2004 and has been an active participant in the promotion of and commitment to the safety agenda within the oil and gas industry since then. Over the years his passion for safety and the people involved with it has grown and grown. He's been involved with not only BP’s UK Safety Reps Forum, but also Step Change in Safety’s ESR Network and has witnessed first-hand how effective a group can be in promoting, sharing, and demonstrating positive HSSE behaviours and culture in the workplace.
Stuart believes that by positively influencing others and by being an active participant in the effectiveness, communication, and endorsement of safety in the oil and gas industry, we can produce results.
Bob Egan
Workforce Engagement Specialist
Health and Safety Executive
Bob's working life has been in the Construction Industry, Petrochemical Industry, Offshore Industry and now for the Health and Safety Executive.
Throughout his working life he has had a keen interest in improving workers health and safety and by working in different industries and going offshore since 1992 he has gained a lot of insights into the different working practices between companies and Duty Holders.
Bob became involved with Step Change in Safety as an Elected Safety Rep back in 2010 and has remained part of a group focused on the health and safety of the offshore workforce. Bob says there have been many high points when playing his part in Step Change in Safety and also low points when tragedies have happened in the industry. But feeling that together we can all help prevent another and progress workers safety is the goal we all have.
Steph Sunley
Logistics Supervisor
Aramark Ltd
Steph Sunley has been an offshore logistics Supervisor on the AP1 for Spirit Energy for the last 8 years and has worked offshore for a further two years.
She’s been a safety rep for more than 3 years and elected to serve on the Step Change in Safety Leadership team. She’s also a member of the Major Accident Hazards Understanding workgroup.

Other Quarterly Themes for 2021

Personal Responsibility for Safety

Personal Responsibility Safety Moment Pack

Clear Expectations and Effective Communication

Personal Leadership and Accountability

Intervention and Encouraging Safe Behaviours

Personal Responsibility for Safety: Close-out Film