Element 3: A System of Measurement
Once performance standards are established, processes should be developed to measure employee and manager behaviors against those standards.
You may be familiar with the process OSHA uses to measure your employer's safety performance. They conduct workplace inspections and issue citations.
Measurement implies more than merely observing behaviors. It involves keeping track of and quantifying behaviors, by assigning numerical values to them.
It is important for supervisors to measure the safety behaviors of their employees. Similarly, it is the responsibility of managers to assess the activities of their supervisors.
Employees: The most common method to measure and evaluate employee safety behavior and performance is for the supervisor to randomly observe and record behaviors in the workplace.
Supervisors can provide immediate and valuable feedback during their observations, which can help prevent potential injuries. Some companies also use coworker or peer observations to monitor and correct unsafe work practices. Generally, the number of accidents an employee has had within a given period should not be a measurement criterion because neither employees, supervisors, nor managers have direct control over these statistical outcomes, making it an unreliable metric for safety performance.
What are the personal safety behaviors supervisors and managers should expect from themselves and employees?
- Complying with company safety rules. Meeting the employer's expectation in work conduct.
- Reporting workplace hazards. As soon as possible to the supervisor and safety committee representative.
- Reporting workplace injuries. No matter how minor. To minimize the negative impact on the employee and company.
Supervisors and Managers: It is essential that the safety behavior of supervisors and managers is assessed and evaluated on the same basis as that of employees. This evaluation should focus on the processes and activities they engage in, rather than solely on the results. For example, a supervisor might be performing exceptionally well in terms of safety behavior as per corporate standards, yet accidents may still occur in their area of responsibility.
Employers should expect the following key safety behaviors from supervisors and managers:
- Ensuring a Safe Workplace: This includes providing safe materials, tools, equipment, and maintaining a safe environment within their area of responsibility.
- Conducting Effective Safety Oversight: Involves regularly inspecting and monitoring work activities to ensure safety compliance.
- Facilitating Effective Safety Training: Offering hands-on demonstrations and practical training sessions on the job.
- Accountability for Safety: Involves holding employees accountable for adhering to safety standards and fairly, consistently applying consequences as needed, as employees anticipate such measures.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
6-4. The most common method to measure and evaluate employee safety behavior and performance is for the supervisor to _____.
You forgot to answer the question!