Welcome back to the 3rd and final part of the serious exploring the safety thinking at HAMK. In this final part you will learn more about out safety organisation and our efforts to boost the community-centred safety framework to fully support the everyday safety and resilience.
Remapping the Safety Organisation
In response to the limitations of traditional hierarchical safety structures, we have developed a revised model that centres the individual within the community. In this approach, the individual’s closest safety resource is themselves, observing the environment through the perspectives we have outlined and using the necessary skills and competencies to operate safely in any situation. Everyone within one’s subcommunity, whether a work team, student group, or any other regularly interacting group, shares the same mindset, skills, and competencies, providing support and assistance when needed. In this setup, psychological safety, trust, shared skills, and knowledge are key components.
For staff, supervisors provide ongoing support, while heads of degree programs play a crucial role for students in fostering a strong safety culture and managing risks and incidents during everyday activities. Campus safety teams offer additional support by monitoring the safety situation, assisting with risk management, promoting safety culture, and conducting regular training for escalated situations locally.
Specialised support is available through joint corporate services, such as student wellbeing, human resources, property management, and IT services, each addressing safety and security-related matters in their operations. Healthcare providers, occupational safety representatives, and the student union also contribute significantly to wellbeing and safety. University management oversees safety initiatives, tracks progress at the corporate risk management level, allocates resources, and ensures crisis management training is in place. The contingency organisation is flexible, built on the everyday structure but focused on recovery and continuity of operations.
External support from authorities and stakeholders ensures our safety practices comply with regulations and standards, providing guidance and assistance when needed. Their involvement helps identify recognised risks and prepares us for emerging threats. Furthermore, he collaborative networks of staff, both peer and professional, are vital in facilitating information sharing and collaboration, enhancing overall safety capabilities across the community.
Accelerating Safety Framework
Our efforts to accelerate the safety framework concentrate on three key areas derived from the safety framework’s perspectives: fostering community building, developing staff safety skills for predictive safety, and supporting supervisors in their role for protective safety. Our framework is also under constant observation and development, to improve and evolve it further.
Fostering Community Building: This initiative enhances participatory safety by ensuring everyone feels valued and included. Inclusion promotes active involvement in safety efforts, with students, staff, and stakeholders collaborating to identify and mitigate risks. This collective engagement strengthens trust, resilience, and a shared responsibility for safety. DEIA initiatives amplify participatory safety by promoting inclusivity and empowering diverse voices, making everyone’s contribution essential in creating a safer environment. Safety activities, such as safety walks and evacuation drills, not only enhance preparedness but also serve as community-building opportunities, encouraging collaboration and shared responsibility. Regular training and safety audits further foster active participation and engagement.
Developing Predictive Safety through Staff Training: To strengthen the predictive safety, we equip staff with the skills necessary to anticipate and manage safety tasks proactively.
- General Safety Competences: Foundational skills like first aid, fire extinguishing, evacuation procedures, and critical areas such as risk management and cybersecurity. These skills are embedded in the onboarding program, with ongoing training provided throughout the staff’s career, ensuring they are well-prepared for both immediate and future risks.
- Community Safety Competences: Programs, events, and campaigns that promote collective responsibility and proactive action. Activities like safety walks and evacuation drills help identify vulnerabilities and risks in real-time.
- Role-Specific Safety Competences: Targeted training for key staff in safety roles, such as supervisors and campus safety teams, ensures they are prepared to foresee and address escalating safety situations and maintain high preparedness for emerging threats.
- Task-Related Safety Competences: Specialised training for unique challenges, such as international operations, chemical safety, and research security, ensuring staff are ready to handle risks specific to their roles.
Though students are not directly included in the safety framework, many degree programs offer related training, creating an additional pool of safety-aware individuals who can identify and responding to emerging risks.
Supporting Supervisors for Protective Safety: Strengthening supervisors’ leadership is essential for enhancing protective safety. While heads of study programs do not directly supervise students, they are key in upholding safety standards within their communities. By providing supervisors with the necessary tools and knowledge, they can lead by example, ensuring both physical and psychological safety. Supervisors are responsible for implementing safety protocols, emergency plans, and promoting mental health resources and crisis management support. Their leadership ensures that safety is integrated into daily operations, addresses both physical security and psychological well-being, and fosters a culture of accountability. Strengthening their role reinforces a comprehensive approach to safety, equipping individuals, and teams to effectively navigate safety challenges.
Finaly, we are deeply committed to the continuous refinement and metrics development. Our training system evolves based on feedback from staff and students, ensuring that it adapts to the changing needs of the community. To assess the effectiveness of our safety measures, we are developing a comprehensive set of metrics. These metrics are in the early stages of implementation but will be essential in evaluating and enhancing our safety approach. As we continue to refine our metrics, they will play a vital role in strengthening the effectiveness of our Organisation Risk Management System (ORMS).
Conclusion
HAMK’s comprehensive safety framework offers a valuable model for fostering resilient and secure communities. By prioritising participatory, predictive, and protective safety, they’ve developed a system that evolves with the challenges we face. We also believe that the principles from HAMK’s approach can be adapted to various contexts.
Now, we’d love to hear your thoughts. How does your organisation approach safety and security? What challenges have you encountered, and what innovative solutions have you implemented? We invite you to share your experiences and insights in the comments below to keep the conversation going.
We hope this article has provided valuable perspectives on HAMK’s initiatives in Everyday Safety and Resilience. Feel free to connect with the author on LinkedIn to further engage with their work.
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About the Author
Reima Kallinen is the Safety Officer at Häme University of Applied Sciences. He is part of HAMK Human Resource Services Team and holds an MBA in Safety and Security Management.