By Bob Barski, Safety Manager
Tradition can be a wonderful thing. Passing down customs and ensuring the continuity of culture is an important and reassuring part of our everyday lives. But it may not be so great for your company’s safety culture.
Traditionally, safety success is measured solely on the frequency of incidents and injuries, known as lagging indicators. Unfortunately, this is an outdated method of measuring success. In fact, you may be calculating your company’s luck, compared with safety facts and statistics.
Here at Manhattan Mechanical Services, we have progressed from lagging indicators and implemented an evolved safety program that is proactive and emphasizes leading indicators.
Safety Culture
Manhattan Mechanical Services works hard in promoting a positive safety culture. During training and on the jobsite, the safety of our employees is a top priority. The motto is: “If it can be done, it can be done safely.”
We have received multiple safety awards from Associated Builders and Contractors, Three River Manufacturing Association, ExxonMobil, and Four Corners Construction Group. Many years ago, we shifted focus from lagging to leading indicators, and it is one of the reasons why we have maintained an impeccable safety record.
What does safety look like in your workplace? The following indicators will help you identify key areas to focus on and guide you to make changes to your safety culture if needed.
Leading Indicators
Lagging indicators measure safety failures. Leading indicators measure performance and drive continuous improvement within our organization.
According to OSHA, leading indicators are “proactive and preventive measures.” Examples we have incorporated into our safety program are:
- Pre-hire Fitness for Duty Evaluations
- Employee Surveys
- Supervisor Training & Leadership Development
- Jobsite Inspections
- Risk/Hazard Assessment
- Employee Recognition
- Stretch & Flex Program
- Loss Prevention Observation Cards
We measure these on a continuous basis to ensure we carry on a clean safety record. As a high-productivity industrial contractor, we pride ourselves on preventing accidents and safety violations before they occur.
Loss Prevention Observation Card (LPOC)
Every leading indicator we implement plays an integral part in the Loss Prevention Observation Card (LPOC), our most successful initiative. Designed to be a simple, portable, and at times anonymous method of reporting potential loss, the LPOC has brought to light numerous opportunities to prevent injury and gain efficiencies in the workplace for both Manhattan Mechanical Services and our industrial partners.
Employees are trained to be on the lookout for various observation types and required to complete a minimum of one card per week. Observation types listed on the LPOC include Safety, Quality, Operational, Administrative, and Other.
The simplicity of the program, combined with the emphasis on employee engagement, serves to create a proactive culture aimed at preventing all potential for loss. As Manhattan Mechanical employees see their observations addressed, they truly understand that safety and loss prevention starts with them.
The LPOC safety initiative is one of many reasons we continue to grow as a leading mechanical contractor and offer our industrial partners well-trained and multi-crafted professionals.
Want to learn more about why partnering with Manhattan Mechanical Services is the premier choice for safety? Download our free whitepaper here.