Philip B. Crosby on Safety

What Philip B. Crosby Might Say About Safety

Philip B. Crosby, a quality expert, was responsible for quality for the Pershing missile project at Martin Corporation, was director of quality for ITT, and in 1979 formed Philip Crosby Associates. He defines quality as “Conformance to requirements, ...which can only be measured by the cost of non-conformance.” He might consider safety as the ”conformance to error free work practices, ... which can be measured only by average industry costs.” He developed 14 steps to quality improvement which might be appear as below when applied to safety.

Crosby’s 14 Steps Applied to Safety Improvement

1. Make it clear that management is committed to safety.
2. Form safety committee problem solving teams with representatives from each department.
3. Determine where current and potential safety problems lie.
4. Evaluate the cost of an injury free workplace and contrast it against the costs commonly realized for the industry, and explain its use as a management tool.
5. Raise the safety awareness and personal concern of all employees.
6. Take actions to correct safety problems identified through previous steps.
7. Establish a committee for an “injury and illness free workplace” program.
8. Train supervisors to actively carry out their part of the safety improvement program.
9. Hold an ‘injury and illness free day’ to
   • symbolize the change that has taken place in corporate thinking and action about safety, and
   • aid employees through their individual inner transition.
10. Encourage individuals to establish safety improvement goals for themselves and their groups.
11. Encourage employees to communicate to management the obstacles they face in attaining their safety improvement goals.
12. Recognize and appreciate those who demonstrate they value safety and participate in safety programs.
13. Establish safety councils to communicate on a regular basis.
14. Do it all over again to emphasize that the safety improvement program never ends.

Source: OSHAcademy

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