On 10 June, the UK Shell operations team took part in Shell Safety Day, a virtual event attended by representatives of Shell, Menzies Aviation and Ravenair. The 20-strong team took part in a general discussion followed by smaller group conversations on the subjects of ‘human performance’ and ‘learner mindset’.

Human Performance - the way people, culture, equipment, work systems and processes all interact to optimise performance, reduce errors and minimise consequences as people execute tasks.

Learner Mindset - a shared belief that everyone in our organisation can grow their ability, learn from mistakes and successes and speak up openly in a safe environment.

After sharing some strong examples from the workplace and from home, the attendees spent time reflecting on lessons learned. One example, from a colleague whose children woke him in the night telling him there was a fire in the house (thankfully, there wasn’t!), prompted him to buy and install smoke detectors. The group discussed this and applied the learner mindset, eventually taking the simple step of fitting detectors much further by agreeing to develop and test an evacuation plan for the home.

For each example, the group looked at how the scenario supported Shell’s ‘Goal Zero’ ambition and they committed to sharing their conclusions with colleagues who’re not currently attending work.

Huge thanks are due to John Lukes at Manchester who organised the day and to Ephraim Winstanley from Stansted who hosted the event.