I have worked on Clealco’s safety culture transformation program since 2023 and am now in the fourth year of this work. In a company undergoing restructuring, with a history of court-supervised reorganization, we work on strengthening leaders and clarifying their role.
One idea has guided my work: we need the courage to keep it simple. This requires knowing the people we are speaking to and whom we want to involve in caring for safety. When we design a tool, we need to consider who will use it and the understanding we want to build.
Depth in simplicity
I have questioned the idea that a document needs 40 pages to be sound. In an environment marked by bureaucracy, the volume of information can end up taking the place of the conversation we need to have with people. The strength of the work needs to be reflected in the depth of that conversation and the clarity it provides.
At Clealco, we are applying this thinking to the design and piloting of simple tools. We seek engagement and understanding, preserving the content that needs to be understood. I consider this approach innovative for the sugar and ethanol sector.
APR and operational safety dialogues
The tools we work with include preliminary risk assessments (APR) and operational safety dialogues. We have sought simple, effective ways to use them to help people discuss risks and clarify what they need to understand to work safely.
This dialogue guides the design, rather than treating the completion of a document as the purpose of the work.