Hazard Assessment: Why Should Organisations Shift from Reactive Safety Measures to a Proactive Safety Culture

4 Reasons to Opt for Proactive Safety Management

Regulatory bodies require a proactive, risk-based approach to safety management. But that’s not the only reason why businesses must assess hazards and proactively mitigate risks. Some of the other benefits include:

• Benefit 1 Lower the Cost of Safety: Calculating the benefits of an incident not occurring is hard. The best way to evaluate is to assess the cost if an incident occurs. This could lead to damage to property and assets, injuries to workers, and even death. The severity of the injury could also be varied, from minor to major, impacting productivity and efficiency. In case of severe injuries or death, the worker may need to be replaced, which includes hiring and training costs. The impacted workers and their families must also be compensated, and the organization must bear their hospitalization costs. Then, litigations could be a further cost to the organization. Based on the incident and the severity, the company will have to pay a penalty, which adds to the cost. So, overall, preventing an incident can be more cost-effective than responding to an event.
• Benefit 2 Improved Employee Engagement: When a company implements proactive safety measures, it communicates its commitment to worker safety. This sends a positive message to the workers, who feel cherished and participate proactively in their activities. This improves productivity and safety management in a virtuous cycle, thereby making safety a part of the corporate culture. Since safety management is a continuous process, they contribute proactively to making their workplace safer by implementing the procedures diligently and providing inputs and feedback for further improvement.
• Benefit 3 Improved Brand Reputation: A safe workplace where employees are treated well also earns the respect of the customers. This adds to the brand reputation and increases the market, sometimes acting as a differentiating factor. A lower incident rate also eases the pressure from the regulatory bodies to monitor and audit the company, allowing it to focus on its core activities better. This positively impacts the quality of the products and services, further boosting the brand image.
• Benefit 4 Prevents Disruptions and Delays: Any incident impacts workplace productivity as the site has to be shut down to conduct investigations, identify the root cause, and restart after ensuring safety. If there is damage to equipment and the infrastructure, it may take days to repair and make appropriate alternative arrangements. Businesses can minimize disruptions and ensure smooth operations by identifying and assessing potential hazards.

Best Practices for Proactive Hazard Assessment and Proactive Safety Management

Proactive safety management requires the safety leaders, the leadership team, and every employee to be involved and actively participate in the process. It needs periodic assessment of hazards and uncovering of new ones. It also needs all employees, old and new, to be aligned with the safety policies and regulations applicable to the company.

Some of the best practices for proactive hazard assessment and safety management include:

• Being Data-Driven: Proactive management requires data visibility to capture trends and assess high-risk areas based on the severity and frequency of their occurrence. Prioritizing high-risk hazards for timely action is crucial; a centralized hazard repository with data analytics enables it.
• Monitoring and Measuring: Once a mitigative measure has been implemented, the effectiveness must be tracked and assessed. In case of any failures, corrective action becomes necessary.
• RCA and CAPA: For effective redressal of hazards, conducting a root cause analysis is essential. Once that has been identified, CAPA must be triggered to ensure the issue does not recur.
• Audits and Inspections: Periodic audits and inspections help assess the organization’s compliance with safety regulations and policies and provide feedback for improvement areas.
• Review Meetings: The leadership team’s involvement in ensuring compliance and proactive safety management is a must. They must periodically review data and follow up on actions to be taken to ensure workplace safety.
• Predictive Maintenance: Periodically performing equipment maintenance in a planned manner improves the safety and longevity of the equipment and prevents unexpected shutdowns and incidents. During the maintenance activity, also ensure safety procedures are adhered to, such as lockout/tag out and allowing only authorized personnel to handle the equipment.
• Periodic Training: As the regulatory environment, technologies, and businesses evolve, so do the safety management needs. Risk assessments and upgrading employee skills to meet the new requirements become crucial. Training and communication must be provided to empower employees with the required knowledge and skills.
• Tools and Technologies: Manual systems can be inefficient in reporting, change management, risk assessment, and monitoring and tracking due to the complexity of business operations. A cloud-based system:

• Improves visibility, communication, and data-driven decision-making
• Infusing AI can further improve the automation of processes and augment safety decisions by expanding risk management
• Incident reporting tools can provide workers with tools to report observations and near misses in addition to providing insights into the incident itself
• Schedule audits and inspections
• Provide leaders with access to data for insights, tracking, and reviews