Achieving zero injuries and fatalities in the workplace requires understanding of why an organization continues to experience incidents, particularly those with similar causes and consequences.
Many remain reactive in their efforts to identify hazards and manage incidents, but they may be focusing too narrowly on lagging indicators that measure safety influence on incidents after they happen. Better to focus on leading indicators that allow organizations to predict and anticipate by analyzing behaviors and daily activities along with past incidents and near misses to determine the factors preceding an event.
A company can use leading indicator data, apply analytics, and create strategies to recognize conditions that lead to incidents, then take proactive measures to minimize or eliminate risks and prevent serious injuries and fatalities (SIFs). Some examples of health and safety leading indicator data-gathering sources would include:
- Workload and fatigue monitoring
- Hazard and incident reporting
- Near-miss reporting
- Safety inspections and audits
- Corrective action implementation
- Safety culture surveys and assessments
- Equipment maintenance and checks
- Job safety/hazard analysis
More investment and time spent focused on identifying and analyzing leading indicators is key to learning from previous events and preventing repeat incidents.
Safety experts agree that encouraging and supporting worker engagement and ownership of safety practices and performance is crucial for developing strong corporate and safety cultures and improving worker safety. While there are many intangible elements that contribute to a robust culture of safety, modern software and technology support efforts to encourage the ownership necessary for improved safety cultures and corporate environmental, health, and safety (EHS) performance.
Examples of these include:
- Safety management systems
- Mobile apps for incident and hazard reporting
- Digital training programs
- Collaborative communication platforms
- Continuous monitoring and feedback systems
- Automated response systems
- Wearable monitors and other Internet of Things (IoT) sensors
Exploring new strategies
Organizations should also consider new and better ways of thinking about safety and health. While much of the innovation and strategy implemented in occupational safety and health since the founding of OSHA significantly reduced injury and fatality rates, new strategies should be explored and adopted to move the dial even further towards getting even closer to zero incidents. For example:
- Cognitive ergonomics are intended to enhance worker cognitive functions and improve overall performance through better working conditions, work processes, and environments that reduce worker mental fatigue, enhance decision-making, and promote mental well-being.
- Human-centered design sees workspaces, equipment, and safety protocols developed based on user requirements and behaviors. Employees are encouraged to get involved in these design processes, so their preferences and workflows are considered, aligned with, and incorporated into safety measures.
- Behavioral-based safety looks to modify worker safety behavior through positive incentives and reinforcement. Workers themselves participate and provide positive coaching to colleagues, highlighting unsafe actions, teaching safe behavior, and focusing on how to improve safety outcomes.
- Prevention through design aims to reduce or eliminate workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities by “designing out” hazards in processes and practices, and reducing the potential for harm to workers, facilities, and equipment.
- Safety training gamification is a way to make workplace safety training and instruction a more enjoyable, meaningful, and engaging experience through activities such as interactive quizzes, challenges, and other games that teach safety practices, reinforce positive behavior, and provide incentives and rewards for successful completion.
- Total worker health, as defined by the American Society of Safety Professionals, sees the introduction of policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards coupled with promotion of injury and illness-prevention efforts to advance worker well-being. The intention is to create hazard-free workplaces that contribute to safer, healthier work.
- Visual literacy in the art world has now been extended to the workplace by teaching safety professionals how they can apply the fine-detail and precise observation techniques used to examine artwork to “see” and recognize hazards and risks in a work environment that could lead to incidents.
- Positive deviance is a quality improvement practice applied in a variety of settings. In the context of health and safety, it involves organizations identifying those who show exceptional performance and learning from them.
Learn a five-step process for continuous improvement in workplace safety performance by downloading the Enablon whitepaper How to Break the Cycle of Repeat Incidents.
