SAFETY EXCELLENCE Janie Ritter Director of Wisconsin Safety Council
New Year’s Resolution: Safety Benchmarking
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t the end of each year, many of us take the time to contemplate the success of our business, department, or individual goals. Often we ask what we learned from our efforts, and write down goals for the New Year. While this process is informal for most of us, a better way to measure your performance is through benchmarking. The process of comparing your business’ performance standard to some kind of objective standard is referred to as benchmarking. If your organization’s safety and health program is not already engaged in a benchmarking project, I challenge you to start one in 2016. Benchmarking is one of the most effective tools businesses can use to improve their operations, and boost profitability and productivity. It is also an excellent way to improve or maintain your organization’s safety and health program. One of the biggest challenges in maintaining a successful safety and health program is complacency. The process of benchmarking enables companies to determine which of their processes and procedures could benefit most from improvement. It also helps show the areas these improvements might yield results and gauge how effective their improvement efforts are over time.
What to benchmark
Prioritize the list of areas you want to benchmark based on your high hazard and risk areas. Data from risk assessment, incident reports, safety audits and information derived from discussions with key, experienced employees can assist in identifying your priorities. Take time to carefully consider which standards are most important to your company’s overall success.
Where you are
Identify the current level of performance in the selected area you choose to benchmark and the desired improvement in performance. It may also be appropriate to use an audit and/or questionnaire approach to measure the current level of performance.
Choosing your partner(s)
In large organizations it may be appropriate to select partners both from within the organization, perhaps at a different geographical location (internal benchmarking) and from outside the organization (external benchmarking). Smaller organizations could select a partner company with assistance from associations, local chambers of commerce or the Wisconsin Safety Council.
Working with your internal and external partners
Successful safety and health benchmarking occurs with senior management commitment, employee participation, commitment to share information with others within and outside your organization, and when you have the right data and research to make meaningful 32
comparisons. This is all made easier with adequate planning and preparation. When choosing an outside partner for your benchmarking, confidentiality should be respected at all times. Goals should be set by the person or team responsible for its achievement, and leadership should agree the goal is important and appropriate time and resources will be allocated.
Using what you learn
The goal of any benchmarking exercise is to learn from other successful organizations, to learn more about your organization’s performance compared to your partners, and to take action to improve internal performance. Your benchmarking plan should be “SMARTT”, that is:
Specific – Measurable – Attainable – Realistic – Trackable and – Timebound Specific. Your plan should be detailed, specifically addressing the goals you aim to achieve and your plan to achieve them.
Measurable. A goal is measurable when you can quantify it. Establish base-line data and include a target/goal in which progress can be measured along the way. Examples of measurable goals answer questions like how much? How many? And how will you know when your goal is accomplished? Attainable. Choose goals you expect can be reached. Goals can range from easy to challenging, and may need to allow for flexibility. If a goal can no longer be achieved it should be altered or discarded.
Relevant. Goals should be in line with your organization’s mission and vision. Trackable. How will your progress be tracked or measured?
Time-bound. Goals need a start and end. Progress should be assessed along the journey. Placing time limits on completion will help you focus on their achievement.
Like any business plan, the results of your benchmarking exercise should include a list of recommendations, who is assigned to implement the recommendations, and a timeline and monitoring measurements for the implementation. BV
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