Audits and Inspections
Prevention is a key component of any robust safety organization. Hazard and Near Miss reports can significantly reduce your incident and injury frequency and severity, but don't stop there; filter out a more granular level of potential threats through a proactive audit and inspection regime.
Incident investigations often reveal deficiencies in various inspections; whether it be that they weren't done at all, lacked sufficient depth or detail, or that findings are left unaddressed. Audits help measure the effectiveness of your inspections.
Martin Up can evaluate your existing audit/inspection program or build you a program from the ground up. Martin Up can also manage implementation and sustainment of a comprehensive and thorough audit and inspection program at various levels within your organization.
If what you expect is not what you inspect, it might be time to Martin Up. If your audits are ineffective, it might be time to Martin Up. If your inspections are non-existent, it might be time to Martin Up.
Procedure Development
More and more organizations are beginning to realize that procedure use is an integral step in establishing standardization; this maintains quality and consistency, and also contributes to safe execution of tasks.
There are two distinct Procedure types; Administrative and Technical. Administrative Procedures are more general in nature and are usually written to outline a corporate policy or program (ie: Confined Space Program). Technical Procedures are a step-by-step work instruction on how to safely perform a specific work task. This will include clear, but standardized verbiage, place-keeping markers, photographs where applicable, cautions and warning notes, equipment and personnel requirements, etc. Video procedures are an emerging trend that can further improve the level of detail and further reduce the likelihood of error.
If your work-force is completing tasks from memory, it might be time to Martin Up. If your incident investigations are repeatedly pointing to procedures not being used, not used correctly, or not in existence, it might be time to Martin Up.
Investigation
Despite many well-intentioned, proactive prevention steps, unforeseen conditions may still be part of the equation. A prompt and thorough investigation can reveal obvious gaps and likely several subtle deficiencies as well.
The benefits of investigations are numerous and can be applied to all levels of incidents; from hazards and near misses, all the way up to the most serious. Capturing an issue before it can grow into something more significant will pay dividends in your long-term safety performance.
There are a variety of investigation methods available; some simple and others more complex. The key is to collect evidence and all statements right away, and to avoid jumping to conclusions prior to completing the process. Martin Up Consulting Inc. has personnel trained in both TapRooT® and SoLogic® methodologies.
If you are seeing the same major incidents happen over and over again, it might be time to Martin Up. If your hazards and near misses are growing into injuries, it might be time to Martin Up. If you are running out of people to fire after an incident, it might be time to Martin Up.
On-Site Support
Most successful organizations have now recognized that strong safety performance is a competitive advantage. Many operational managers are taking a lead role in safety and seeing improved outcomes as a result. Regardless of how you look at it, focusing on safety works.
Many safety-related services can be provided remotely, but there are instances where an on-site presence is needed. Martin Up provides contracted on-site support for existing operations, or can provide support for various sized projects on a full-time basis or at scheduled intervals.
Having a dedicated resource to manage day-to-day details of a safety program can free up bandwidth for operational managers. Having specific areas of concern attended to by an expert can help ease the burden if you already have your day-to-day covered.
If your production output is great, but your safety record is poor, it might be time to Martin Up. If you are inundated by Stop Work Orders, it might be time to Martin Up. If you know you will need a safety resource for an upcoming project, the best course of action would be to Martin Up.
Data Review and Analysis
Hazards should be obvious. For some, they are not. On the other hand, simply collecting information is not enough. The effectiveness of prevention efforts are directly proportional to the content of these reports. Quotas will get you the quantity you are looking for , but nothing more. The quality of reports can unlock prevention opportunities and the real ability to make a difference.
Whether you need help with individual locations or projects, or looking at your fleet-wide or company-wide reporting, Martin Up can provide an in-depth analysis of what your hazard, near miss, and incident reports are showing - and what they may not be. Categorization of reports, what is being measured, and what is being rewarded are all areas that can be calibrated to provide guidance for corrective / preventative action(s) based on realistic conditions.
If meeting reporting quotas is a regular struggle, it might be time to Martin Up. If injuries happen as a "surprise", it might be time to Martin Up. If your corrective actions are not having the desired effect, it might be time to Martin Up.