Safety Performance Programs

The final key component of any safety performance program is the follow-up. Followup should be based on the trends and differences identified in the analysis. It can include developing new policies and procedures, modifying existing policies and procedures, or changing the physical characteristics of the workplace or job task. 

Determine who will be responsible for implementing the safety performance program and establish methods of accountability. 

How is trending and forecasting used in a safety performance program ... 

When developing the objectives for the safety performance program established, the data needs should be identified. Data concerns that should addressed early involve determining if the data needed for the performance measures exist and if so, is the data reliable and readily available. Also, in order to measure a safety performance objective effectively, more than one measure maybe needed. It is best to use avariety of measures to ascertain performance rather than just one. Multiple measures provide a better picture of the true status of the safety performance. 

Describe some major downfalls to a safety performance program with regards to data. 

Safety professionals can draw upon voluntary standards and national consensus standards to develop safety performance programs, implement continuous improvement programs related to safety, and develop measures of safety performance. National consensus standards are developed through a process of obtaining input from industry representatives on the development of the standard. This representation can include manufacturers, trade associations, professional organizations, as well as other standards development bodies in the United States, in other countries, or from international coalitions such as the European Community. 

Voluntary and national consensus standards can be very useful in the development and implementation of a safety performance improvement program. These standards can serve two purposes first, national consensus standards can provide an accepted management structure for the safety performance program, and second, national consensus standards can serve as a basis for establishing acceptable safety performance levels and a means for measuring safety performance. 

NOTE Contractors unable to meet host organization requirements for accident rates or experience modification rates may submit a written safety enhancement program designed to bring project performance in line with host organization requirements which will be implemented for all work done for the host organization. If approved by the host organization health and safety professional, the safety enhancement plan will become part of the contractor s job-specific safety plan and the contractor may be approved. 

Modem behavior-modification programs rely on the identification and reinforcement of safe behaviors. Considerable improvements in measures of safety performance have been attributed to the introduction of these approaches (see McSween, 1993, for a petrochemical example). However, other studies have indicated that performance may return to its original level if the programs are withdrawn. It is therefore important to maintain a continuing program to ensure that the initial levels of improvements are maintained. Also, the benefits of behavior modification programs have mainly been demonstrated in the context of work activities where there is a high level of... 

To ensure that the safety program is working, most companies have a safety policy follow-through. This includes monthly safety meetings, performance reviews, and safety audits. The monthly safety meetings include a discussion of any accidents (and resolution of prevention means), training on specific issues, inspection of facilities, and delegation of work. Performance reviews within the company for all employees must have a visible safety performance component. 

Refer to API RP 2220, Improving Owner and Contractor Safety Performance and API RP 2221, A Manager s Guide to Implementing a Contractor Safety and Health Program for information on the evaluation of all service contractors. 

Every employee is expected to comply with established rules and procedures as a condition of employment and to participate in the Safety, Loss Prevention and Security program. Safety performance and attitude shall be considered major and essential employee job performance measurement criteria. 

Edkins GD. 1998. The INDICATE safety program Evaluation of a method to proactively improve airline safety performance. SafSci 30 275. 

Corporate Leaders—those providing the leadership commitment, setting the expectations, for a process safety performance and the supporting metrics system including the resources necessary to develop and implement such a program throughout the corporation to improve process safety. 

The scope of this book is intended to be globally applicable, and the concepts and approaches will be useful to all companies seeking to continuously improve their process safety performance. However, many of the references and examples are based on U.S. conditions and programs. 

Different metrics may be used to describe past performance, predict future performance, and encourage behavioral change. They are a means to evaluate the overall system performance and to develop a path toward superior process safety performance. This is accomplished by identifying where the current performance falls within a spectrum of excellent-to-poor performance. Such information will allow executives and site management to develop plans to address the specific improvement opportunities that could lead to measurable improvement in process safety. Good process safety metrics reinforce a process safety culture that promotes the belief that process safety incidents are preventable, that improvement is continuous, and that policies and procedures are necessary and will be followed. Continuous improvement is necessary and any improvement program will be based on measurable elements. Therefore, to continuously improve performance, organizations must develop and implement effective process safety metrics. 

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