What is safety nirvana?
If you ask an average CEO, it may be a vague reference to reducing injuries by 10% or perhaps something about improving the bottom line by reducing losses. Ask Paul O’Neill, former CEO of Alcoa, and you’ll hear something that will focus you on hazard identification and control every single day.
As O’Neill discovered in 1987, engaging everyone in safety culture, or, more broadly, in an integrated environment, health and safety (EHS) management system, is the ultimate key to success in every facet of a company. Imagine how much more of an impact his vision could’ve had if, instead of pencil and paper, there had been iPad or iPhone database apps that enabled everyone’s ideas to easily be shared and acted upon. That would’ve been an intriguing sight!
How do we tie the “cyber knot”?
Or, how can we have everyone focus on both the task at hand and controlling the hazards that surround them?
Like any other tool, intensely pivoted on the people and processes behind it, software can alleviate the hurdles to improving EHS performance by, for example, making it easy to track hazard inventories and assessments. But it can do much more than that: it can become the path to incorporating hazard control to every activity, and therefore developing and maintaining a solid EHS culture.
Our safety record is better than the general American workforce, especially considering that our employees work with metals that are 1500 degrees and machines that can rip a man’s arm off. But it’s not good enough. I intend to make Alcoa the safest company in America. – Paul O’Neill, 1987
It begins with strategy
Once the primary objectives are laid out, software can track initiatives and progress and share these as broadly as desired. Managers at all levels can follow progress and adjust course as necessary. Imagine both passive (virtual bulletin boards) and active (text messages or emails) communications available 24×7 to keep every stakeholder appraised of progress. And, with equal ease, making necessary changes to keep the focus current and ensure value is continually added.
With a solid strategy clearly communicated and easily managed, software tackles on the next challenge: simplifying how data is collected and managed to measure performance.
Data gathering for success
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Not every single data point adds value, so it’s essential to map out a data management strategy that can expand as the culture develops and begin with simplicity. Starting with a modest set of questions or options to choose from can greatly help the employee’s experience and build the trust needed to ensure continued contributions.
As hazards are identified and documented in the software, actions planned and taken get incorporated and closed out. Superior EHS cultures calls for everyone from the initial reporter to the last approver to be involved throughout the process. This entails timely and accurate communications. Software can be easily configured to not only communicate progress, but to later share lessons learned across the organization.
Reap what you sow
Once sufficient data has been collected, software becomes essential in extracting summaries and drawing conclusions. It’s not just about tracking how many incidents occurred this month, the analysis can dive deep and unearth patterns otherwise hidden. Combined with the expert eye of a seasoned EHS professional, good data can turn into tangible actions that drive the ultimate result.
For many organizations, measuring EHS performance at an individual level is unthinkable, but software can make a straightforward link between its data and the people who are meant to drive it. Simple reports, such as how many hazard reports were submitted by each person, can give way to more sophisticated analyses, such as identifying if it’s always the same few people and it’s always at the end of the month. Detecting these tendencies enables EHS program managers to focus their energy where it would make the most impact.
The bottom line
Ultimately, software tools simplify data management to build a solid foundation for EHS culture. And with so many new ways emerging every day to stay connected, unique opportunities arise for everyone to look after each other.
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