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Safe value creation offshore

August 26, 2002, 01:00 CEST

We shall be the safest value creator on the Norwegian shelf, and achieving this goal depends on every single one of us, says president of business sector Torgeir Kydland, Operations and Production Norway, in his address to Hydro employees at general meetings offshore. Being good isnt enough. We have to be excellent.

”Working with safety requires both patience and impatience,” underlines Kydland. He refers to the fact that Hydro has carried out a number of safety projects, has looked at safety throughout the organization, analyzed routines and procedures and compared them to current practice and has identified the challenges to be met.

”We have systematically closed the gaps between procedures and actual work processes. And we have learnt a great deal about better ways of working – by looking at everything with fresh eyes, involving employees and working together, and by encouraging full openness about any situation that could lead to an accident. Hydro’s operational organization in Bergen has just launched its new set of values and vision. Safety-related attitudes and behavior are reflected throughout this work.

“If we are to deliver good results, it is essential that we have a real, shared understanding of where we stand, and of our values and challenges,” says Kydland.

“We must all contribute what we can towards higher performance. Focusing on one’s own opportunities rather than on others’ weaknesses creates energy, and this is why I constantly refer to the motto ”It depends on me.”

”Attitudes and behavior are what distinguish the best from the second best. But defining a performance culture is not enough, we also have to put theory into practice. With time this will change us and the way we work, and will prove to be an important element in a successful performance culture.”