Laser Focus On Injury Prevention

 

Gary Smith for AAM BlogA SAFETY MANAGEMENT SERIES – PART II
WRITTEN BY GARY SMITH, APARTMENT BUILDING MANAGEMENT WORKERS COMPENSATION SELF INSURED FUND

In Part II of this safety management series, we will cover two key methods on getting laser focused on injury prevention and how to maintain it! All human efforts, whether individual or group, require focus to get the right things done at the right time. Your organization’s injury prevention efforts deserve to be laser focused!

Before we discuss methods, let us assume your Top 5 injury types have been identified as suggested in Part I. You have ranked your “most frequent” and “most severe” injury types. The actual injury types are of secondary importance at this time. Of primary importance is the relevance of your organization’s focus! If you want results, you need to know the specific injury types demanding priority in your workplace.

Now, for the two methods:

ACCOUNTABILITY

In his book, Traction – Get a Grip on Your Business, Gino Wickman explains the concept of GWC. The right person will “get it” (i.e., understanding), “want it” (i.e., genuine like for the job) and have the “capacity” (i.e., the time and mental, physical and emotional capacity to do a job well) for it. True accountability is largely predicated upon having the right person in the right position. Why just one person as opposed to two or more? More is better, right? Well, no, not in this case. Consider that if more than one person tries to wear the same hat (i.e., role or responsibility within an organization) then no one is truly accountable to the organization for the results. The group “sharing” accountability for that one area will inevitably blame each other for a myriad of things and results will be lackluster.

Any one person can wear different hats, and often this is the case in many organizations when the same person has multiple roles and responsibilities. This is perfectly fine. Just be sure to avoid two or more persons trying to wear the same hat at the same time! Ensure that one person – the right person – has the responsibility for the injury prevention program in your workplace. You will foster true accountability!

ANNUAL AND QUARTERLY GOALS.

The process of setting and achieving goals is a practical and essential method to focus efforts. Annual and 90-day goals will allow the organization to objectively track efforts toward desired results.

First, start each year with three to seven SMART goals, (i.e., Specific, Measureable, Achievable/Attainable, Relevant and Time Bound) for your injury prevention program. Keep in mind that “less is more” when trying to achieve a laser-focus, and that is why you do not want more than three to seven. More leads to diffused focus.

Second, each quarter, create 90-day goals (i.e., “smaller” goals) designed to get your organization closer to achieving its annual injury prevention goals. What are the three to seven most important things that the organization will need to achieve this quarter to be on track with the annual plan? Human beings naturally begin to lose focus after about 90 days. So, a 90-day review will help your organization refocus and objectively determine if its injury prevention program is on track or not. If not on track, then it is better to course correct at that time! The “right” person, who is responsible for your organization’s injury prevention program, will get the organization to achieve its goals. When necessary, they do not hesitate to ask others in the organization for help in getting efforts back on track. They may delegate and rely on others, but they remain responsible for the results of the organization.

In Part III, we will introduce a problem solving tool that has enabled organizations of all sizes to fix issues themselves by identifying and acting on the best available solutions! Most often, the best solutions involve simple actions taken by persons closest to the issues.

Until then, should you need assistance with developing a laser focus on injury prevention in your workplace, please contact Gary Smith, CRM, at (517) 338-3367 or Gary.Smith@cmi-yorkrsg.com.

 

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