Daniel Hummerdal | 13 November 2025
When a leading renewable energy company introduced its Golden Rules, it chose not to launch them through posters, memos, or online quizzes. Instead, it invited people into conversation.
Across offices and sites, small mixed groups gathered around tables covered in laminated cards and large sheets of paper. Each card carried one of the ten rules. The task was simple but disarming: in your group, sort the rules in order; which ones are clearest, easiest to follow, and most effective at reducing harm.
At first, the talk was polite. But soon, the differences began to surface.
“That one’s crystal clear,” said a site manager.
“Really?” an office employee replied. “I don’t even know what Confined Space is.”
Laughter followed, and the tone changed. People leaned in, explaining, gesturing, debating, even grabbing the cards from each other to move them to the spot that best reflected the group’s evolving understanding.
As the cards moved, stories began to emerge. Stories about the unease of driving into remote areas, about unexpected relevance of the different rules.
One participant realised that Temporary Works applied directly to some of their constructions; another connected Trenching and Excavation to their fieldwork in a way they hadn’t before.
And an office manager who thought none of the rules applied to her quickly recognised that electrical safety did as she’d been asked to change some cables just weeks earlier.
By the end, the worksheets were covered in handwritten notes:
“We need clearer examples on this one.”
“Works, but images would help.”
“More training needed around this.”
What emerged wasn’t a scorecard, but a shared sense. The group had turned a list of corporate imperatives into a set of meaningful guidelines.
Facilitators described it as one of the most energising and high-impact initiatives they had seen. It was safety leadership in action: creating conditions for curiosity, contribution, and care.
“Engagement took off the moment they started asking, ‘What does this mean to me?’ That’s when the conversations came alive.”
Several elements made this exercise work:
Engagement didn’t end when the sessions did. People came back later with more stories, examples, and ideas, revealing not only where the rules were clear and effective, but also where meaning, context, and application needed to be strengthened.
Equally importantly, it generated new trust and dialogue between teams and leaders. It became a shared platform for listening, learning, and improving together.
This collaboration illustrates what modern safety leadership looks like: not simply telling people to comply, but inviting them to co-create understanding, ownership, and practical ability to apply rules in their own context.
