Using Technology in Safety To Work Smarter, Not Harder
31st Annual CSSE Professional Development Conference November 18-20, 2001, Vancouver, BC
Wayne Pardy, Vice President of Safety Management Services PPM International safety Technologies©
If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there” Alice In Wonderland
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001
KPMG survey on Business Ethics
Globe & Mail, February 21, 1997 Top 10 issues of “ethical risk”
Integrity of records Worker Health & Safety Security of Internal Communications Quality and Safety of Products and Services Receiving bribes Discrimination Sexual Harassment Reporting Fraud or Creative Business Compliance Failures Copywrite of
Solutions Inc., 2001
Paradigm Shift
Improving the quality of the industrial safety movement will depend on innovative people who are willing to shed the blinds of tradition- William Pope - Safety Excellence:
The Changing Emphasis
“The domain of risk analysis and safety is too often characterized by soaring and obfuscating rhetoric supported only by snake oil analysis” - W. Kip Viscusi.
Duke University
Motherhood rhetoric will always be the path of choice for those who can‟t or refuse to justify and rationalize safety initiatives based on sound reason and measured judgement- Wayne Pardy, COH: Business Copywrite of Creative 1995
Solutions Inc., 2001
How Society is changing (or has already changed!)
Shifting/changing demographics: values of society Employment trends: move to information/knowledge
based industries
Massive restructuring, reengineering, downsizing, layoffs, etc. Who is your “customer” for your “safety product”? “What” is your safety product? Are your safety initiatives relevant anymore (says who?)
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001
Sponsored by the Speakers Forum, Spring 1997
The Future of Work
Technological innovation - Future work will depend more on what we know than on what we do...workers need specialized and broad based skills Information technology means that people no longer have to work in an office - mobility of technology applications
Safety is basically an “information rich” area. . . The key is translating all that “information” into meaningful knowledge
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001
The End of Work
Jeremy Rifkin
More than 14,000 workers die from accidents in the U.S. each year 2.2 million suffer disabling injuries ILO cites “job stress” as the biggest causal factor, yet most investigation forms don‟t acknowledge it, most compensation agencies don‟t compensate for it, and most management choose not to validate it...therefore, it doesn‟t exist! NIOHS study says that clerical workers who use computers suffer inordinately high levels of stress Most legislation is aimed at “rules & rule breaking” - WHY?
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001
What do we want safety technologies to achieve?
“Assessing” you current system of workplace measurement Identifying the key areas of “measurement” “Measuring” workplace perceptions toward safety Determining the appropriate “performance indicators” for your safety system Effectively and efficiently gathering the “data” needed to drive continuous improvement Copywrite of Creative Business Enable us to react,Solutions Inc., 2001 corrections quickly and make
Pardy & Associates Safety Technology Survey- 1999
“Rate the Effectiveness of Your Safety System”
Safety Audits - 33% Behavior-Based Safety Observations - 21% Injury Frequency and Severity Rates - 92% Accident and Property/Equipment damage costs - 18% Perception Surveys - 14% Bench Marking with other companies - 11% % Safety Goals Achieved (Strategic Planning) - 21% Total Workers‟ Compensation Costs - 76% Inter-Industry/Competitive Industry Rankings - 66% Medical Aid or Disabling Injuries - 91% Management Systems - 19%
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001
Positive Performance Indicators for OHS
Commonwealth of Australia
National Occupational Health & Safety Commission
Typical Measures Traditional:
Lost time injury, Frequency rate, & % budget to remedy hazard Trend analysis and savings achieved through prevention Performance to standards or benchmarks, positive measures of health and safety (ie: number of audits conducted and scores of audits conducted, perception surveys, “safe”-VS-”at risk” observations )
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001
Transitional: Modern:
BHP Minerals Benchmarking Study
1995 “Best In Class Characteristics”
A strong management commitment, reflected by a clear corporate policy statement, and the application of a consistent safety system. The use of select experts at the managerial level to strategically target safety improvement initiatives A close relationship between staff safety professionals and senior management Requirement of „quality‟ safety performance as a condition of employment for managers, supervisors and employees Including safety in performance evaluations for managers, supervisors and employees Clearly defining lines of responsibility with respect to safety Establishing safety goals and targets Conducting safety audits “How does/can Technology fit into this picture?”
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001
Variable which consistently relate to lower injury rates
Health & safety training of OH&S Committee members A participatory management style and culture that includes:
1. Empowerment of workers in key decision areas 2. Autonomy and control over work 3. Encouraging the long term commitment of the workforce 4. Good working relationship between management and workers An organizational philosophy on OH&S which includes 1. Delegation of safety activities to workers 2. Active participation of top management 3. Regular safety audits
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001 Institute for Work & Health, Toronto
Monitoring at risk behavior and worker/work practices Having continuous and regular safety training Employee health screening Regular evaluation of occupational hazards Good housekeeping, safety maintenance and controls on machinery
Does your safety system exhibit these characterize these variables?
If so, how do you evaluate their effectiveness?
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001
Caution. . . Injury Statistics Don’t Tell The Whole Story
COS, July/August, 1999 - The Pardy Line
Measurement Examples: Systematic inspections of the workplace using a standardized
checklist approach, checking the conditions against established standards Safety tours and observations of the workplace, work practices, or physical conditions Audits or other similar assessments of your safety system Observation techniques of conditions or practices (can include various equipment standards or personal practices or compliance to work methods, rules or standards) Degree of risk management improvement - “quantify” Safety improvement targets - have they been met/reached/achieved # of safety improvement suggestions made by staff
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001
Why safety performance measurement?
Accurately measure effectiveness of achieving objectives Used to assist in business planning and performance improvement exercises Provides opportunity to “re-calibrate” prevention initiatives Provides opportunity for feedback Can be preemptive or predictive
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001
What is a Safety Management System?
A comprehensive, integrated system for managing safety which sets out
Specific safety objectives Systems and procedures by which these are to be achieved Performance standards which are to be met The means by which adherence to these standards is to be maintained
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001
Regular monitoring/measurement with technology can include
Obtaining information on relevant aspects of safety performance to check that objectives and performance criteria are being met Monitoring the use of procedures and checking of safety systems and equipment Identifying non compliance with the requirements of the safety management system, investigating them and taking appropriate corrective action Maintaining a system of records which demonstrates compliance with the safety management system
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001
How did we get here?
Where we want to go with our safety technology?
Measurement of the performance of the OH&S management system consequently requires assessment of the process involved in the management system, rather than measurement of outcomes (such as incident and accident rates) “Management of outcome instead of improvement of the system is destructive and is considered tampering” (Motzko, 1989) Process safety management approaches to OH&S performance measurement rely on continual monitoring of indicators of performance of the relevant processes, and continuous improvements in these processes
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001
Basic Performance Improvement Steps - using a technology solution
1. Undertake a strategic planning session(s) to determine what you want to measure, why, and how that information will be used 2. Structure and develop your performance measurement plan. . . what will you track and how will you track it? 3. Establish measures, targets or other performance benchmarks or standards 4. Measure, evaluate, react, feedback Determine improvements or recognition opportunities
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001
PPM Safety Performance Assessment Technology Objectives of the system:
To enable the safety system to be more accurately managed through a PC based source To “add value” to existing paperwork, and can actually eliminate the need for paper work To assign and track measures of the quantity and quality of safety management initiatives To ensure timely and appropriate follow up on select safety activities To measure the effectiveness of internal safety standards To provide a safety reporting system not dependant on accident or injury statistics To assist in the development of safety action plans To ensure responsibility and accountability for safety management is assigned To Identify opportunities for improvement To facilitate legislative compliance and document due diligence efforts and processes
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001
The Top 6 Challenges of Safety Technology Management
Measuring organizational and employee results Using competencies in a performance management system Performance management tools to improve organizational effectiveness Supporting/evaluating your current safety culture Linking reward systems to performance management Developing and implementing safety performance management standards Aligning people with goals and corporate strategy
Copywrite of Creative Business Solutions Inc., 2001
Survey by Linkage, inc., 1999