MANAGING CHANGE
A Safety Management Perspective, Part 1 of 2

July 23, 2008

Big changes are taking place in workplaces across this continent. These are not safety changes, per se. They're changes in economic, social and political structures. But they're having an impact on health, safety and environmental issues. If you choose to sit back and wait for change to happen, you may not like what you get when changes filter down to you. A better approach is to be active. That doesn't mean resisting change. It means managing it. From a safety management perspective, those who do the best job in strategic planning with the known will be the best prepared for the unknown.

Risk Management Approach

Strategic planning efforts for safety should not be turned into a bureaucratic "committee" process. There is a time and place for committees. But no responsible organization can afford to allow itself to be managed by committee. (Who is it that said that a camel is a horse designed by a committee?) Here are some of the things to consider to focus your strategic safety planning:

• What are the risks associated with your business/industry?
• What has past performance indicated, e.g., in terms of high frequency, high severity, total accident costs, WCC costs, audit findings, other performance measures or indicators?
• How would you rate your "safety maturity level"? Are you simply doing the bare minimum, or have you identified safety as a strategic, core business value, and integrated safety performance into business improvement efforts?
• How knowledgeable is your executive group about current safety issues, practices and trends? Are they familiar with due diligence concepts? Do they plan an active role in safety initiatives, or are they simply relegated to the sidelines as cheerleaders?
• What do you want to achieve over the short and long term? Where do you want to be this time next year? How about in the next 1 to 3 years? Where do you see your organization in the next 5 years?

While some of these targets may seem far off, it's important to remember that the process of planning where you want to be and how you intend to get there is just as important as setting the actual target. It's simply a matter of asking, "Is safety important in this company?" If the answer is yes, the next simple questions should be, "What exactly is it about safety that's important? What do we have to do to achieve our objectives? And who is going to do it?"

If you can answer these questions honestly and openly, and can bring key players into the strategic planning process, your short and long-term safety improvement plans stand a better chance of success.

I have to agree with you bob,Well said.

R.H.

This (above) is from a service that I belong to. It is not my work; but I am with it 100% - like you. ;~)