“What gets measured, gets managed”
- William Thomson (Lord Kelvin)
How do you measure your safety performance? Without measurable metrics, gauging your safety performance is impossible. But what metrics do you use to measure worker safety? The classic “number of days without incident” is now obsolete as tracking lagging indicators has proven to be ineffective at preventing workplace incidents from occurring. Employers should take a proactive approach to worker safety by utilizing data compiled over time to predict and eliminate incidents before they can occur.
In the age of technology, safety professionals should take advantage of new software solutions. Many companies are still managing worker safety via spreadsheets and paper files. This obsolete management method presents two major disadvantages:
- Inability to gather real time data
Having the ability to document real time data from incidents or investigation findings allows safety professionals to have the data available for further review. Many details can slip through the cracks. Modern software solutions allows for the most comprehensive data collection that just isn’t possible with spreadsheets and paper.
- Inefficiency of administrative work.
Managing the data after collection can be a monstrous job without the right tools. Organizing, searching, and using paper documents slowly drains away time that could be used to further improve profitability. Having a centralized database to enter data that is easily searched and used eliminates this loss. Steward Day, Health and Safety Manager of Amico Infrastructures estimated it used to take days to prepare year-end reports. “Now that we’ve transitioned to safety software, I can pull all of my KPIs immediately, which cuts down my reporting time to 20 minutes,” said Stewart.
Click to see more information about Q-Safety, Quantum’s newest web based safety software solution.
