Mar 1, 2024 | Article

9 key takeaways from the Vision Zero Conference

On 24 January 2024, we hosted the Vision Zero Conference at Hotel Nyborg Strand. We have gathered some of the most important points from the day here. Use them as inspiration for your occupational safety and health efforts and as part of the journey towards achieving a higher level of prevention.

#1

The Vision Zero mindset and the 7 Golden Rules can be used as the structure for occupational safety & health (OSH) as well as other business priorities such as environment, quality, change processes, implementation of new technology – or the business itself.

#2

To enhance top management commitment, make sure to communicate success stories and financial/nonfinancial return on investment on safety and health activities.

#3

Company boards must be educated and informed about strategic priorities and action plans within occupational safety and health.

#4

It is important that the prevention mindset comes to life among managers and employees in daily operations. The prevention levels (passive, reactive, active, proactive, and creating) must be discussed locally, so that both managers and employees understand where the individual department is located on accident prevention, prevention of work-related disease and the psychological work environment, respectively. This can be done in connection with risk assessment processes (questionnaires or dialogue meetings) or at department meetings.

#5

To improve the dialogue with top management on their role, responsibilities and tasks in relation to occupational safety and health, EHS managers can arrange monthly meetings with the following topics:

How can the EHS department help top management to achieve business priorities?
How can top management help the EHS department to achieve safety and health priorities?

#6

The journey towards a higher level of prevention within safety, health, and wellbeing requires good communication throughout the organisation. Vision Zero offers a common language and communication platform for top management, middle management, HR, EHS and employees to discuss roles, responsibilities and tasks in relation to safety and health.

#7

Instead of safety and health goals cascading from the top of the organisation, development of local safety and health goals creates motivation and commitment.

#8

To facilitate the journey towards a higher level of prevention on safety, health, and wellbeing, organisations can shift narrative from “safety first” to “people first”.

#9

Vision Zero is about knowledge sharing and learning from observations and incidents. Therefore, it is important to work with the concept of Psychological Safety, where managers and employees feel safe to communicate ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes – and where team members feel accepted and respected for contributing to the journey towards a higher level of prevention.