It is
going well above the minimum OSHA standards, many of which were written over 30
years ago. Don't even think about becoming best of the best if they use
minimum standards or if you are still struggling just to be compliant with
those standards. One of the most important factors in creating a
world-class safety culture is for the leadership to embrace the idea that good
safety is good business. Leadership is critical when transforming your
safety program from good to best.
It
generally takes somewhere between 3 - 5 years to get your Safety Management
System integrated into the day to day operations to become a way of business
Creating
and maintaining a world-class safety management program differs only slightly
from other organized approaches to business management. It's just a lot
tougher. A common denominator of successful companies, whatever the business,
is that they have an organized approach to management. Safety
management should be treated no differently. Too often a company's safety
program amounts to doing the minimum prescribed by Occupational Safety Health
Administration (OSHA) guidelines.
According
to the National Safety Council, five characteristics help determine
whether a safety management system is “world class”:
- Leadership – The
management of an organization must lead by example to help drive employee
engagement.
- Integrated
systems approach – Integrating safety processes into all business functions
and structures can result in safety becoming embedded in how an
organization does business.
- Performance
measurement – Both leading and lagging indicators must be used to
promote and monitor continuous improvement of the management system.
- Alignment to
core organizational initiatives – Through visioning, strategic planning
and budgeting, safety can become aligned with all other objectives,
strategies and values in an organization.
- Corporate
citizenship and off-the-job safety – Through initiatives, world- class
organizations extend their safety efforts to both the community and
employees outside of work.
- Safety Leadership is a vital component of any Safety program but is
a vital component if you're considering taking on the challenge of a Safety
Management System. We can help you with Safety Leadership to help drive the
Safety Culture Change
Where to
start
Generally, the first step in
establishing a world-class safety program is to recognize the need to improve
the current process. A company needs to determine and admit to its
weaknesses.
Safety begins, and ends, with
people, People make up the business and if you don't have good people, or if
people are getting injured all the time, you don't stay in business very long.
As an organization, you need to
develop a mindset that all employees are involved in safety and everyone is
accountable for safety. It must be line driven. "There are no
exceptions,"
An on-the-job injury that results
in the loss of time has the same impact on a business as a machine breakdown.
Following the OSHA format of tracking recordable injuries or illness, is like
measuring failure. It's counting something after the fact. A world-class safety
program has to be able to head-off injury.
Integrated Safety & Health Management (ISHM)
Leadership
is the ability of a single individual, through their actions to motivate others
to higher levels of achievement ~ author unknown
Choose
your safety team wisely. Team members need to be able to have a
"passion for safety" in order to "motivate" all
employees! Set high safety standards, and track safety leading indicators
(safety inspections, attendance at training, safety activities). Motivate
employees to bring the safety solutions!
Safety & Health
Management System must be integrated to your daily operations to be successful
It
has been well established that an effective safety and health program is the
best way to reduce workplace injuries. Employers, managers, and
supervisors are responsible for workers' safety, yet sometimes have little
training on safety-related concepts and techniques. They may benefit from
specific training that allows them to fulfill their leadership roles in the
program. All workers are trained to understand how the program works and how to
carry out their responsibilities assigned to them under the program.
The
elements of an effective program should include the following:
•The
Main Elements must be Integrated into your daily operations
–Management
Leadership
–Worker
Participation
–Hazard
identification and assessment
–Hazard
Prevention and control
–Education
and training
–Program
evaluation and improvement
–Communication
and coordination Host employers, contractors, staffing agencies
Author:
Deborah Grow, Safety Specialist
Private
Safety Consultant, assistant Damon Fall Protection and Coordinator EHS Network ~
Kansas. Extensive safety experience
in General Industry, Construction, D.O.T. Compliance, and OSHA
consultation project. Contact Deborah if you would like to schedule a consultation
