The safety functions within a company should be managed as any other business function. The success of "quality" management over the past 25 years provides an excellent road map for safety professionals to follow. Using the same basic business principles companies use for meeting quality or productivity goals, a safety professional can demonstrate the interdependency of the safety function with other business functions, and protect the employees, reduce losses and loss costs and directly impact the bottom line within their company.
The following terms will be used to discuss safety as a business function.
Loss control techniques are used to reduce an organization's loss frequency and/or severity from loss exposures. This term is interchangeable with the terms loss prevention or risk control.
To manage is the process of planning and organizing all resources to achieve a goal. It also means to control or to establish control.
Function describes a manageable task and its outcome, and is also applied as a management title. Some examples of functions in a company are planning, purchasing, HR, sales, marketing, and of course the safety function.
Safety is freedom from harm. Itcan also mean freedom from risk or exposure to loss within a company.
Business is the exchange of goods and services to acquire wealth or for 'monetary gain'.
Goals are a management tool to identify operational activities and results. Goals include a broad statement of measurable accomplishment and are supported by specific objectives and tasks with assigned accountabilities.
There are three phases of the process to establish safety as a business function. The three phases are:
Establish business priorities: this is a customized listing of your company's business goals and objectives as they pertain to safety and loss control activities
Develop a business plan for safety: this is a road map for the yearly activities conducted to meet goals and objectives and includes all of the resources needed
Integrate Compliance activities and the Injury Prevention / Management activities: this is the aspect of the safety function that demonstrates to management where safety 'fits' within the company. Often managers are not aware that the safety department has an impact on many facets of the business, until we let them know.
Within the company, one or more individuals may be responsible for the safety function(s). There may be a separate safety department or it may be a small department/function divided among two or more managers/supervisors. Regardless of the number of people involved, there must be a clear understanding of 'who' is doing 'what' for the company safety program. Some examples of safety functions found in their job activities include:
Executive safety committees
Managers of departments
Risk manager
Facilities manager
HR manager
Safety manager
Safety team
Employee safety committees
Employees
