The methods of managing business have dramatically changed in the last decade. In fact the only thing we can count on now is that change will continue. Companies and corporations of all sizes have moved from a heavily structured corporate decision making process to a more individual business unit decision system (profit center structure) where every one involved must provide value to the organization and contribute to its financial well being. For safety professionals, these changes have meant new challenges in how to think, how to manage, and how to succeed. These changes have resulted in more demands on time, talent, and capabilities. Today, safety professionals must effectively know and use new technology, oversee/manage other disciplines including environmental, industrial hygiene and health, and ergonomics, with fewer resources and a growing work population.
If this is an accurate description of the business environment in which safety professionals work, then it is paramount that safety professionals change, if necessary, and learn to be a part of and work with in the business unit and business unit decision process. Safety professionals also must return a measurable value back to their companies. These values must directly impact the financial success of the business unit (add value) and relate to its profit and loss statement. We need to know what measures need to be taken and how to present them.
Among other things, safety professionals must understand the operating structure and financial basis of their companies. Armed with this, safety professionals can identify safety systems and measures that will add value. However, these systems and measures must be readily quantifiable within the context of how their business units measure value, including profit and loss. Knowing what safety performance measures to establish and how to present them is essential for success.
Safety performance measures can be used to support a number of initiatives. However, safety performance measures are used primarily to identify:
The areas where changes or modifications are needed, where our time, energy and resources are best used.
Areas of success which can be used as a basis for best practices
Possible liabilities to the business unit
The value added to the profit and loss of a plant.
Safety performance measurement process can be designed to fit a business unit's individual operations. Inherent in this is identification of operating processes, identification of safety issues in each process, and establishment of measures for each safety issue in each safety process. Using the success of implementation of this system at Tower Automotive (Tower) as an example, the principles of Job Safety Analysis (JSA) were used to create our safety performance measurement process. All industrial processes used in Tower facilities were identified (power presses, robotic stations, lift trucks, transfer lines etc.).
