Highlights from the Kazakhstan Occupational Safety and Health Conference

We are excited to share some highlights and takeaways from our recent participation in the Kazakhstan International Occupational Safety and Health (KIOSH) Conference in Astana. Our team, represented by Mike Goddu , Renat Salimgaliyev, Ada Sherkesbayeva and Babur Atamatov, had an amazing time at the event. It was a fantastic opportunity to exchange knowledge, network with industry professionals, and spread the word about our work in Kazakhstan and beyond.

On the first day, Renat led a two-hour workshop titled, ‘Implementation of Safety Culture in Kazakhstan Organizations’, which received positive feedback from participants. We were thrilled to hear references and quotes from this session being mentioned in speeches and conversations throughout the event.

Mike had the privilege of opening a strategic session at the ministerial level on the second day, where he shared best practices from our safety engagements in Kazakhstan. Many attendees were already familiar with our Incident and Injury-Free™ (IIF™) approach and expressed their appreciation for Mike’s speech.

During the Transportation Safety panel discussion on the final day, Renat presented JMJ’s IIF™ Fleet solution. Other panel members presented digital solutions for fleet tracking, driver training, and AI analytics. However, what became evident was that integrating these technologies within a strong safety culture is vital.

A few takeaways

Throughout the exhibition, industry leaders engaged in roundtable discussions and informal conversations, addressing current safety challenges and priorities. Here are some key takeaways we gathered from those valuable discussions:

1. Digitalization is influencing many areas of safety from geo data analytics to AI predicting employee behavior. Safety culture will play a critical role in the successful implementation of these technologies.
2. Reflecting global trends, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategies have become leading factors for success in Kazakhstani businesses.
3. State bodies are looking to cooperate with business in simplifying processes and coordinating activities to help them work safely. 
4. Visible safety leadership with open communication and effective feedback loop are the foundations for a flourishing safety culture. 
5. During safety incident investigations, listening and showing genuine concern for the invisible factors contributing to incidents are more interesting than focusing on technical recommendations.
6. Focusing on near misses and low-classified cases can help prevent more serious incidents by creating an understanding of human nature and decision making.

The JMJ team would like to thank the organizers for an enjoyable and rewarding conference. We made valuable connections, reinforced existing relationships, and showcased our expertise in promoting safety culture. We look forward to leveraging the insights gained from this event to drive our work forward and contribute to the safety and health landscape in Kazakhstan!