C.A. Short Company has long advocated the use of leading indicators as a means of creating a safe work environment. It turns out that OSHA® -- the Occupational Safety and Health Administration -- shares our beliefs so much that they are now turning to the public for help in identifying safety and health indicators in the workplace.
Why Is This Significant?
This marks the first time in OSHA®’s 45-year history that the administration has reached out to the public for assistance in identifying leading indicators in the workplace. The goal, according to deputy director of OSHA’s standards and guidance division Andrew Levinson, is to create a catalog of leading indicators to select from. To do this, Levinson is hoping to get assistance from employers and employees alike.
In early 2017, OSHA plans to release a preliminary version of the leading indicators guide, and they’re asking that the public comment on the guide and suggest leading indicators that the agency may have missed. The administration will use this data to finalize the guide prior to publishing.
What Are Leading Indicators?
So, what are leading indicators?
The National Safety Institute defines leading indicators as, “Proactive, preventative and predictive measures that monitor and provide current information about the effective performance, activities and processes of an EHS management system that can drive the identification and elimination or control of risks in the workplace that can cause incidents and injuries.” These leading indicators measure performance as a way to obtain positive results within an organization.
Rather than focusing on negatives that may occur, leading indicators allow you to draw attention to continuous improvements. Even if it’s the reporting of a near miss, these actions can still lead to positive changes in how work is done and, in turn, allow you to build a robust defense.
Summary
While utilizing leading indicators is vital to the safety of your employees, they are only one part of the puzzle. To create a truly safe working environment, you will need to implement a comprehensive safety awareness program.
This is why C.A. Short Company created the concept of Safegagement. Made up of five critical components (including Leading Indicators), Safegagement not only succeeds by turning the focus away from repercussions and back towards a love for the company, but it also stands the test of time via an array of measurable statistics and research.
If your company is interested in creating a safer and more productive working environment, we hope you consider C.A. Short Company.
C.A. Short Company partners with companies to manage, drive and facilitate increased employee engagement to increase financial performance, productivity, quality, and core performance outcomes. Our process and research-based platform enables executives and managers to engage their teams to increase the bottom line, motivate staff, and incentivize positive behavior. To request a Complimentary Consultation, please click here.