STEP 1: SUMMER 2016 INTERVIEWS
What is your general feeling about NINA? Does your supervisor set a good example? How do you feel about the balance between costs and safety? With these (and more) questions, managers and SHEQ engineers gauged the atmosphere among over 200 D&II workers in 40 sessions on ships, in projects and in offices (regional).

The result:
1,200 quotes on how people think NINA works in practice.

THIS IS DEFINITELY GOING WELL
- NINA evokes positive feelings
- Safety as a subject is more open for discussion

THIS NEEDS ATTENTION
- NINA is more “alive” on ships and in projects than in offices
- Big differences per supervisor

STEP 2: OCTOBER 2016 REFLECTION SESSION
The interviews, together with management visits and an incident analysis, formed the basis for the Reflection Session, which 19 members of D&II senior management attended. Do they recognize themselves in the experiences of employees? How do they see their role as a manager with regard to NINA? On what subjects is action called for?

The result:
A joint decision to pay concrete attention to safety leadership.

FOCUS ON NINA IN THE THREE-YEAR BUSINESS PLAN
‘Safety Leadership’ - visibility of Management, working on an open relationship and dialogue.
‘Joint responsibility’ - cooperation with clients and third parties.
‘Incident management’ - building on lessons learned, sharing knowledge.
‘Connection at supervisory level’ - enlarging knowledge and competences, less paperwork.
‘Appreciate what is going well’ - appreciate our achievements with regard to safety.

STEP 3: DECEMBER 2016 CAFETERIA SESSION
In the cafeteria at head office in Papendrecht the main results were presented to about 100 colleagues from D&II. In small groups, headed by Senior Managers, they talked about the different themes that came up in the interviews and the Reflection Session.

The result:
An exchange of experiences and ideas, new impulse for NINA.

OVERHEARD DURING THE CAFETERIA SESSION…

…ABOUT ‘OPENNESS IN YOUR TEAM’
Anne Jan Fokkema, Director Design Tender Engineering Department: “In general I hear there is openness. But I also hear it is strongly dependent on the leadership of the team. Is it easy to approach your supervisor? Does he bring up the issue of safety? Does he initiate an actual conversation about safety or does he have a checklist? These factors all contribute to the effectiveness of the dialogue. What I perceive is that safety awareness is higher when the supervisor pays more attention to it.”

…ABOUT ‘SAFETY LEADERSHIP’
“Imagine, I already see ten things that need improvement during the first ten minutes of a Management Inspection. What should I do?” Dirk-Jan van Leeuwen, Director Fleet Management, puts this question to his audience: ten colleagues sitting in a semi-circle in front of him. “Don’t only say what you see, but in particular ask why it is not in order”, is someone’s tip. “Talk about it together.”

Attention, attention, attention: it is one of the main outcomes of the interviews. Quote: “We never see the PM, WM or the SHE-Q Manager.” Dirk-Jan van Leeuwen takes the issue seriously: ’I don’t see this as criticism, but as a request for help. So I ask in turn: What can I do better to help you? One of the people in my group today said: ‘You don’t need a program to discuss safety. You just have to take time for it.’ That is what I am going to do.”

…ABOUT ‘COSTS AND SAFETY’
“Is there a relationship between safety culture and costs?”, asks Theo Baartmans, member of the Board of Management. “Everyone who says ‘yes’ step to the left, everyone saying ‘no’ step to the right, and if you are in doubt, stay in the middle.” Most participants choose ‘yes’, based on the idea that ‘safety may/should cost money’.

Technical Manager Joost van der Linden has chosen ‘no’. “The idea that safety costs money to keep the subject ‘alive’ is wrong. If you implement safety in the right way, it’s always alive. In other words, supervisors must not put up barriers for their people, because they want to talk about safety too. The only thing you have to do is create an atmosphere in which this is possible.”

Theo Baartmans reacts: “You are an example of the young generation for whom safety is a natural thing. That’s great to see. Earlier today, I heard a story about a problem with a gangway that was not tackled because the project management assumed there was no budget for it. That is what I find alarming, because Senior Management never said any such thing. It is this culture we all have to fight, for example by calling people to account in your team. Of course, you have to be sharp when it comes to costs, but one thing has nothing to do with the other. In your mind, there never ever must be a link between costs and safety.”

…ABOUT ‘THE GENERAL FEELING ABOUT NINA’
Peter Klip, Business Unit Manager Area West: “Everyone is convinced that major advances have been made. However, some people feel attention is fading now and a new impulse is needed. Often this is related to one’s personal, recent experiences. Do you believe the glass is half full or half empty? People mostly are positive, but they also see a lot still has to be done.”