Observed annually in line with the International Labor Organization (ILO)’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work, Odfjell's Global Safety Day 2018 showcased various activities this year, promoting the theme ‘Professionalism’ – and with this also highlighting one of our core values.
Headlined “Do it safely or not at all”, Odfjell’ers were encouraged to drive safety, security, and service throughout the organization by executing activities in a professional manner.
As per tradition, CEO Kristian Mørch marked the day with a video to the Odfjell organization, including the following message:
“Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the Odfjell Global Safety Day.
Before I start I want to thank everyone in the organization for the excellent safety performance in the past year. The improvements in our safety record are very impressive, and I am convinced that this is because in Odfjell we truly have safety as one of our core values.
But the positive development does not mean that we can relax. We continue to have process related incidents and near misses, which could have developed into significant incidents – so our dedication to safety and our efforts to improve further are as important as ever.
The main theme this year is “Do it safely or not at all” and that means that we all – and I truly mean all employees – has the responsibility and the authority to stop any work that you deem is not safe.
I often mention that we do not compromise on safety, and that I personally do not compromise on safety. This means that we all should feel responsible for stopping unsafe work for yourself or for anyone else working in or together with Odfjell, until we have truly considered if the work can be performed safely.
A good way to remember the stop work authority is to remember that STOP stands for:
STOP - THINK – OBSERVE - PLAN
I strongly encourage you to use this authority, and take the time to step back and reconsider if you feel that the work is unsafe and/or you do not feel that proper planning or precautions are in place. I can guarantee you that we will appreciate the interventions, and that no employee in Odfjell will be blamed for stopping work due to safety concerns.
When thinking about safety, we normally default into thinking safety on our terminals or on our ships, but it is also highly relevant in our offices. One of our latest LTI’s happened in one of our offices. Safety is not only relevant in terms of physical safety. Our digital safety and security is an increasing concern for us, so the “stop work authority” is very relevant in that respect too. Please be vigilant on that front as well.
I hope that you will also this year participate actively in the initiatives during the safety day, but I also want you to remember that safety is a mindset and something that should be on the top of our minds every day, in every action around the clock – and if you do not feel we are doing it safely, then STOP – and reconsider.
Thank you for listening, and stay safe!”
In Manila, the discussion focused on data privacy and security. The event was capped off with a game that educated the personnel about proper personal protective equipment.
In Bergen and Singapore, the focus was on travel safety and cyber security.
Our Durban office focused on security, with a session on safe behavior and awareness on how to prevent and protect oneself from mugging.
