2023 is here. If we are going to have a successful and safe 2023, we need to look at 2022 to see where we can improve. Identifying the areas where we may have experienced a dip in performance requires a review of procedures and circumstances that affected the goals we had for the past year. Asking questions like, what were the most frequent compliance issues? Were there particular departments or functions that didn’t perform well? Do we need to address personnel issues or establish action plans and set goals for improving performance in those areas? Outlining expectation and goals for the coming year should be a part of every safety performance action plan. Company, department, team, and individual goals should also be part of the 2023 action plans. Questioning each area as to what they can do better to improve over the past year and establishing benchmarks is helpful as well as monthly or quarterly reviews to see if established goals are met.
A suggestion might be to have a general meeting between senior leadership and field team leaders to develop and outline the 2023 action plan. Many companies do not reach their collective goals because senior leadership is not involved. Senior leadership is critical for any successful safety program. Also having each team leader setting goals for the team and presenting those goals to the group builds accountability for achieving those goals. Tying compensation to safety performance establishes the importance of building safety into every phase of production and sets the standard for the company. The company that puts safety quality and productivity into every phase of the operation will ultimately be the most successful.
Planning, goal setting, accountability, measurements, reward and recognition and other areas that may apply to your specific circumstances and operations are critical for a successful 2023. Best of luck in 2023. Let’s win together.
Jeff Blomgren
Director of Safety
Petticoat Schmitt Civil contractors, Inc.