Salman Mukmin had been appointed as the Mill Manager for a cluster of palm oil mills in Gambang, Pahang. From his first week on the job, he noticed something troubling — the mills ran like clockwork in terms of production, but safety was treated as an afterthought. Helmets were sometimes worn only when visitors came. Safety briefings were rushed. A few minor accidents were brushed off as “part of the job.”
Salman knew this mindset had to change.
The Turning Point
One morning, a small incident shook him. A worker slipped on an oil spill near the loading ramp. It wasn’t serious, but it could have been far worse. That evening, Salman gathered his supervisors.
“Safety is no accident,” he began, looking around the table. “We have to stop thinking it’s just about rules. Safety is a mindset — a culture. And it starts with us.”
He introduced three key principles for his leadership team:
1. Personal Responsibility: Everyone — from the top floor to the shop floor — must own safety.
2. Proactive Prevention: “Prepare and prevent, don’t repair and repent.”
3. Empowerment to Speak Up: Every worker has the right — and duty — to stop unsafe work.
Building the Culture
Salman rolled out changes in phases:
Daily Safety Huddles: Five minutes at the start of each shift to discuss hazards, good catches, and safe work reminders.
Safety Champions: A rotation system where workers took turns leading safety inspections, making it everyone’s responsibility.
Open-door Reporting: A no-reprisal policy for raising hazards or near-misses, paired with immediate follow-up action.
He also used clear, memorable messages:
“A safe team is a strong team.”
“Shortcuts cut life short.”
“Tomorrow: your reward for working safely today.”
Resistance and Breakthrough
At first, some veteran staff muttered, “We’ve been doing this for years without all this fuss.” But Salman didn’t push with threats — he led by example.
When he personally swept oil spills, checked harness fittings, and refused to start operations until safety checks were complete, attitudes began to shift. Workers saw he was serious, not just about rules, but about their lives.
The real breakthrough came when a welder stopped a job because he felt the scaffolding was unstable. Instead of scolding him for slowing down the work, Salman thanked him in front of the team and gave him the “Safety Star” award for the month. That moment sent a clear message: safety over speed.
The Results
Within a year, near-miss reporting tripled — not because things were getting worse, but because workers now felt safe to speak up. Lost-time incidents dropped by 70%. Most importantly, safety became the norm, not an afterthought.
On the anniversary of the first safety huddle, Salman addressed the entire team:
“Safety first, safety always. We protect each other, and we go home together. That’s what makes us strong.”
And as the sun set over the oil palm estates of Gambang, the mills not only ran efficiently — they ran with a new culture of care, where every worker watched out for the next.
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