RISK MANAGEMENT
51
NOVEMBER 2013
ACT
educate employers on their responsibilities
and obligations to safety.
Having a safety program, or more
commonly, an Injury Illness Prevention
Program is a key component; however,
only if it is properly used, followed and
enforced. Most companies have a program
on the shelf but not everyone follows the
program or knows what it covers. Having
a safety program results in the possession
of a program, but does not necessarily
offer a solution.
Having a process designed to deliver
safety as an outcome, and managing
the effort required to produce it, is
significantly different than just having
a safety program. Comfort in a safety
program is driven by the false assumption
that mandatory components will somehow
automatically deliver the desired results.
Too often, a program is developed to
insure that a legal requirement is met.
Thus, it is developed entirely separate
from the other business practices of the
company. The result: Generally, a large
binder (or binders) made of multiple
chapters dealing with a variety of subjects
that sits on a shelf and gathers dust. The
requirement is satisfied however, the safety
results do not improve. There is an old
saying, “Plan the work and work the plan.”
In many cases, if companies implement
this idea, incidents are less likely to occur.
Auditing and inspections can provide
an indication of the problems occurring
and where they are happening. Inspecting
does nothing to change the reason for
the problems. It does not even provide
information as to the root cause of the
problem. An inspection, by itself identifies
that a deviation from intended results or
the plan has occurred. Thus, an inspection
program alone delivers reports of failure
or nonconformance to desired results.
The right outcome
The same holds true for safety and
training. Safety is an outcome, the result
of processes and actions, such as training.
Auditing and inspections can improve
the system by highlighting weaknesses
and deviations. They only add value if
the information they generate becomes
a trigger for action and are acted on.
Often, inspections are conducted, results
tabulated, yet processes do not change.
In closing, there is reality and
perception. Think hard about your
company, its history of incidents, the
management culture from the owner to its
managers and employees, and make sure
that you are not operating under a “cloak
and dagger” perception. Near misses
are just that and will soon become an
accident. Don’t get caught by surprise and
don’t let tough times change solid business
decisions and put your company and your
employees at a greater risk.
I always say to myself, “If it were my own
son working for me, would I want him
operating that way?” If the answer is no, it
should be no for everyone else as well.
■
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