Organizations have changing needs, including safety needs. According to EHS Today, “the need for strategic change in safety is ambushing many organizations in today’s climate. Many organizations fail to realize in a timely manner that changing workforces require changing safety efforts.” Every year, specific employee dynamics change within an organization. New employees are hired. Seasoned employees choose retirement. As this process occurs, the commonly shared knowledge of safety procedures and expected safety behaviors can be lost or become ineffective in meeting the current needs of the ever-changing organizational dynamics. Overall workplace accidents can increase without a seemingly rational explanation. When increased accidents begin, the safety team or department becomes reactive and begin to search for solutions to solve the present problems. This can lead to a stream of spontaneous changes to correct unsafe conditions as they arise. However, a proactive and strategic safety program approach would evolve with the organization allowing for productive growth in the safest working environment possible.
As we begin a new year and all other areas for strategic planning are being considered, a strategic safety plan can be developed outlining the organization’s goal definition of successful safety conditions.
- Revisit the current safety program and assess the effectiveness of meeting the organizational needs.
- Through accurate assessments, determine what is working and what is not working.
- Determine if old programs can be altered to meet the changing organizational needs or if new programs are the answer.
As with all other areas of the energy industry, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution to safety training programs for all organizations. Determine the most effective and efficient means to provide a safe working environment without overwhelming the workforce or creating unnecessary changes while developing a safety culture.