Page 18 - Occupational Health & Safety, April 2018

HEALTH CARE
effort to successfully roll out software orga- nization-wide is futile. With any introduc- tion of a new process, procedure, or tool, “top down” and support messaging must occur. In our experience, the likelihood of failure increases if an initiative is promoted only by a certain department (e.g., EHS, HR, etc.).
Executive leadership should:
■ Send written or electronic corre- spondence to all employees reaffirming their support for EHS activities to ensure that their organization remains a safe and healthy workplace (“Safety Statement”).
■ Send separate correspondence to middle and senior-level management about expectations to promote and main- tain a safe and healthy workplace for their employees, require all levels of manage- ment to be active participants in health and safety management, and encourage ac- countability for established EHS goals and benchmarks.
■ Dedicate time in all management- level meetings to discuss safety and health, activities, and results.
■ Give authority to EHS professionals or designated safety liaisons for all health and safety matters.
Initiate discussions with inter- nal teams to incorporate leading indicator-based perfor- mance metrics into employee and management evaluations.
■ Initiate discussions with internal teams to incorporate leading indicator-based performance metrics into employee and management evaluations (e.g., observation reporting, near miss reports in less than 48 hours, overall employee utilization at each site, time of training completion averages).
- All incentive and performance evaluation should avoid lagging indicators (Days Since Last Recordable, DART rate, Incidence Rate, Days Since Last Injury, etc.). Bottom line: have no performance metric that discourages reporting. That is why world class health and safety organi- zations use leading indicators . . . because they promote reporting.
‘Spoon Feed’ the Base
Organizations that gradually introduce software into their health and safety pro-
cesses usually experience higher user re- tention and sustainability. In addition to slowly adding locations, you should slow- ly add functionality. For instance, when a location has been designated to start using the software, avoid requiring them to use every function at once. Focus on little pieces of software functionality and clearly communicate how, when, and why you want them to use it. Once they mas- ter that functionality and the organization starts seeing results (goals, benchmarks), introduce additional functionality. It will build confidence to master the easy things first and, before long, they will become comfortable using software as part of their health and safety efforts.
Develop an Internal Marketing Plan
Employees who have ample time to prepare for changes tend to be more comfortable when those changes actually occur. Inter- nal stakeholders should dispatch a series of correspondences and announcements that not only announce the future use of a new system (software), but also the benefits that will be realized. After full implementa- tion, stakeholders should continue efforts to market the software’s success to users and be transparent about what needs to improve.
Incorporate Software Utilization into Performance Evaluations:
A majority of the software users are front- line employees. They are simply instructed by management and other leadership that use of this tool is expected and they will be held accountable. However, management and other leadership must also be held accountable for ensuring that their direct reports are engaging the software to the or- ganization’s expectations. Safety and health performance should be a part of each em- ployee’s performance evaluation, regardless of job description or level.
■ Establish benchmarks for reporting (company-wide, location, departments, and individuals). Hold leadership, manage- ment, and employees accountable.
■ Avoid solely using lagging indica- tors as part of incentive-based programs (Days Since Last Injury, Days Since Last Recordable, etc.)
■ Incorporate leading-based indica- tors (percentage of employees submitting observations, near misses reported in less than 48 hours, higher “on time” training
completion percentages).
Looking at most “world class” health and
safety organizations, technology plays a vital role in their success. They view software as one of many tools, not the sole solution. They invest much time and energy not only in en- suring compliance, but also truly raising em- ployee awareness on health and safety pro- grams centered around leading indicators.
Reporting doesn’t happen just because you have software;
a culture has to exist. Sure, it might be easier to report when you use software, but there will still be problems with non- reporting if the culture doesn’t reinforce activities.
Reporting doesn’t happen just because you have software; a culture has to exist. Sure, it might be easier to report when you use software, but there will still be problems with non-reporting if the culture doesn’t reinforce activities. Focusing on building or improving your existing health and safety should start well before introducing tech- nology into your processes. When you de- cide that the time is right for software, take the advice above to better position your organization for success.
Eric Glass, a Senior EHS Advisor with UL EHS Sustainability, has more than 20 years of risk management, loss control and safety experience in industries including manu- facturing, transportation, retail, insurance, and fleet management. He is an OSHA Authorized Outreach Trainer and provides leadership, guidance and expertise in the transformation of an organization’s current health, safety and risk management efforts into “best in class” leading indicator-based programs. In addition, Eric assisted with de- velopment of Florida’s first continuing educa- tion safety curriculum for service contractors in the HVAC, electrical and plumbing indus- tries. He has published articles in national publications such as EHS Today and regu- larly presents at conferences such as ASSE, NCS, AIHA, and SESHA. Eric has a B.S. in Risk Management & Insurance from Florida State University and served in the U.S. Navy as an ordnance technician during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
16 Occupational Health & Safety | APRIL 2018
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