Establishing Health and Safety Performance Goals

The continuous improvement approach defines some degree of incremental improvement on an annual basis zero impUes the immediate elimination of injuries or illnesses. Continuous improvement, regardless of its rate, indirectly acknowledges that a certain percentage of the workforce will be hurt each year. Choosing between these options is often unsatisfactory because continuous improvement in essence budgets for injuries and illness while zero often invites failure if but a single injury occurs. 

As companies struggle with these issues, the obvious question must be asked Although zero is always the most desirable outcome, is it possible Achieving zero incidents can be an intimidating and difficult goal, but it is neither impossible nor imrealistic. Zero has been accompUshed by organizations on a small scale (Nelson 1996). In fact, many companies at any given time are already at zero  

O 2001 by liie Socidy for Mming, Metallurgy, and Exploration. AU rights reserved Electronic edition published 2009. 

The key to eliminating injury and illness is more of a mental challenge than a physical one. Nelson reports several construction companies that have gone well over a year without a recordable injury and some mining companies that have completed an entire year without an injury. Many corporations report individual plants around the globe going 1, 2, 3, or even 4 years without a single injury. So what is the key to zero, and how can it be sustained  

Cause and effect of loss Behavior modification Engineering Regulations Education and training Inspections 

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