Vision Zero in Odsherred: A Joint Effort to Improve the Working Environment  

In Odsherred Municipality, the working environment is not just something people talk about. It is something they work with systematically. Using Vision Zero as a framework and the 7 Golden Rules as their guide, five selected workplaces within the municipality have embarked on a new way of approaching the working environment. The result is fewer occupational accidents, stronger collaboration and management that takes responsibility.

“I prepared a report for the main cooperation committee focusing on onboarding and occupational accidents. Based on the report, we selected five workplaces that needed a boost. That marked the beginning of the Vision Zero project,” says Birte Friis Skytte, Health and Safety Consultant at Odsherred Municipality and the initiator of the project.

A common language for the working environment

Vision Zero is an approach to the working environment based on the fundamental belief that all work-related accidents and illnesses can be prevented. The path towards this goal is built around the 7 Golden Rules, which are based on practical management models.

At Odsherred Municipality, the 7 Golden Rules were translated into specific questions in the workplaces’ action plans, making their health and safety efforts both systematic and closely connected to everyday practice.

“It has made a real difference to our health and safety efforts. Suddenly, it became clear where there were gaps, for example when it came to training temporary staff. Before we started, the workplaces believed they were good at training temporary staff through induction programmes and designated mentors. But it turned out that this was not how things worked in practice,” says Birte Friis Skytte.

Another example is the special needs school for pupils facing particular challenges. The school operates across two separate sites, making it difficult for management and the health and safety group to be present at both locations.

“The action plan showed us that there is an even greater need to bring the school together at a single site. This is something we have realised through our work with Vision Zero, and we hope it will lead to action,” she says.

Management and employees in the same room

An important part of the project has been bringing together the safety and health groups from the five workplaces for a joint training programme consisting of four modules. During the programme, they have worked with the principles of Vision Zero, shared experiences and had the time and space to explore their working environment in greater depth, away from the demands of everyday work.

“It has made a huge difference for them to step away from their workplaces and have the time to focus on this. They have then returned to their workplaces and continued working on specific tasks. This has created both ownership and long-term integration,” says Birte Friis Skytte.

At one of the schools, the entire staff took part, from teachers and after-school care staff to the facilities manager. This required considerable resources, but it also brought clear benefits:

“When everyone hears the same messages and is involved on an equal footing, it creates cohesion and a common language. It strengthens preventive safety and health efforts because everyone knows what to do if a situation arises,” she explains.

Expert support and tools

The project has been facilitated by Strategic Safety and Health Consultant Vibeke Rasmussen, who delivered the training together with Occupational Psychologist Tina Mulvad. According to Birte Friis Skytte, the collaboration between the two consultants has been a major strength:

“They have worked brilliantly together. They have provided tools that the safety and health groups have used between the modules, and we have maintained a good dialogue throughout the process. This has helped keep the momentum going.”

Workplace inspections as a regular practice

One of the tools that has proved particularly effective is workplace inspections: systematic reviews of the workplace with a focus on safety and health.

“Workplace inspections make it clear where action is needed. This can involve anything from physical conditions to behaviour. One issue that has been overlooked at several workplaces is ensuring that cleaning staff have proper access when cleaning tables and vacuuming. At care homes for people with dementia, for example, it may be a question of where an employee physically positions themselves in relation to a resident. In these situations, it is important to consider principles for gentle self-protection. These are very practical considerations, but they make a difference,” says Birte Friis Skytte.

She recommends making workplace inspections a regular part of safety and health efforts, preferably twice a year, so that both management and employees can identify issues that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Measurable results and long-term integration

The project has already delivered tangible results. The number of recorded occupational accidents and incidents has fallen significantly, and the health and safety groups now have specific action plans that they can continue working with.

“These are not just empty words. Things are being put into action, and employees can see that management is genuinely committed to this. At one of the workplaces, it has contributed to a reduction in sickness absence, and employees have started returning to work,” says Birte Friis Skytte.

To ensure that the experience and learning from the project become firmly embedded in the organisation, she has presented the results to the main cooperation committee and applied for funding to continue the project.

“I really hope that this will continue and that Vision Zero will become part of our common language throughout the municipality. And I believe it will,” she says.

Vision Zero as a cultural transformation

For Birte Friis Skytte, it is clear that Vision Zero is not simply a method. It represents a cultural transformation. It is a way of approaching the working environment in which management and employees share responsibility, and systematic efforts go hand in hand with reflection.

“The most important lesson we have learned is the role of management. Management needs to commit to being actively involved and to involving employees. That is where change begins,” she says.

And at Odsherred Municipality, that change is already well under way.