Measurement and Evaluation
Often a company will want to evaluate how well their safety management system is
performing. They need to discern if the management system is improving the safety
culture of the company. In order to evaluate if the safety performance is improving, a
company needs some measured data to analyze. On a very frequent basis, it is imperative
that measurement and evaluation take place in any management system. Such evaluation,
in a safety and health management system, will often take the form of trend analysis from
either incident data or audit findings.
INCIDENT TREND ANALYSIS
Once a company performs audits, or collects all their incident data, there may be
identifiable trends that appear within the data. Such trends are indicative of potential
problems that should be addressed. Often the trends indicate that the same or similar
problems exist in more than one area of the company. For example, if there are a number
of hand lacerations throughout different areas of the business, it may indicate that a
program should be targeted for hand protection and wearing gloves on the job. If there
are several slips and falls, in several areas of the company, it may indicate a need to
address better housekeeping practices. Or, if those slips and falls are all during winter,
perhaps the focus needs to be on anti-slip surfaces in the entrances and stairwells.
Trend analysis of incidents may indicate general needs for the company in the overall
safety program. However, trends can also develop in just one area of the company. For
example, if the machine shop is consistently experiencing incidents where employees are
receiving small lacerations on various parts of the body, perhaps shielding and guards
need to be installed to protect employees from flying debris. Or if a loading dock area is
frequently the site of incidents, perhaps a fork-lift or power industrial truck program
needs to be implemented to address the safe use of this equipment.
AUDIT DATA ANALYSIS
Incident data is not the only data source available. Small businesses may not experience
enough incidents to analyze any trends. Audit data could also be used to evaluate the
safety of a work place, or safety performance of a company. As various types of audits
are performed, either via checklists, questionnaires, or more formal audit processes, data
is collected from each of these sources. This data can then be compiled and potential
problems addressed. Again, these problems could be restricted to one area, or be more
general in nature. As an example scenario: a walk-through audit was performed with a
checklist a few months ago, and findings were made that a circular saw was missing its
guard. The problem was immediately addressed and the guard replaced. At the next
walk-through audit, the same saw was found again without its guard. This is a trend that
needs to be addressed. The question of why the guard was removed then needs to be
asked. The answer could be as simple as the guard keeps coming loose and becomes
wobbly, and is therefore more of a hazard than not having the guard in place at all, or
perhaps that the task performed really should use a different type of saw that is not
available, and the circular saw without the guard in place can substitute. With the safety
issue of using a circular saw without a guard, and the inherent dangers of this type of use,
either the guard needs to be fixed so it doesn’t wobble, or a different saw needs to be
purchased.
HOUSEKEEPING AND QUALITY
Housekeeping is another indicator of safety trends and performance. An unkempt
workplace has more incidents than a neat and clean workplace. If the workplace is dirty
or messy, employees are more likely to be inattentive or careless in their tasks. This
affects not only the incident rates and trends, but also reflects in the quality of the
products and services provided by the company. In relation to this, poor quality can
therefore be a potential indicator of a poor safety culture or performance.
SUMMARY
Evaluating the workplace through several data sources is the best way to evaluate the
safety performance of a company. Using incident data, inspections, audits and a “general
knowledge” of the work site, as well as any other measurements, can assist in finding
trends and solving problems. Improving safety at any workplace improves quality and
enhances employee effectiveness. Measuring and evaluating data sources is one avenue
of driving the continuous improvement in a safety management system.
Source: RIT OSHA OUTREACH CENTER - Harwood Grant
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