Safetyology 101

Written by pdcsafety on July 6th, 2008

Safety At Work | Plan-Do-Check-Act Concept

The plan, do, check, act concept is something you need to practice for safety at work. OSHA and the writers of ANSI/AIHA Z10 began using this concept back in 2001. It is however new to the safety industry as a whole. There are very few leaders in the industry willing to adopt the concept as it is just too new for them to think it will have any affect in the industry. I think different as you will soon find out and feel that safety at work needs to be thought of very seriously.

Advanced Safety Management is something all industries need to adopt in their organization for a safe working environment. The thought of losing an employee is something no one wants to face. So, how do you use the plan, do, check, act concept and apply it to problem solving initiatives within your organization? Will it help your company to continue to improve its safety at work? The following blog will try and help you sort out all this as well as provide a base for your companies safety management system to improve. This Blog will:

• Discuss the history of the Plan, do, check, act concept
• Give awareness to the process, systems and continued improvement aspects of PDCA
• Discuss the different applications you can associate PDCA too
• Help you to understand the basic concepts and problem-solving techniques
• Give guidance on initiating the PDCA process into your organization
• Open your eyes to serious injury prevention
• Show how to use task based risk assessments to limit the hazards of most jobs
• Discuss Management of Change and how you must deal with change in your organization
• Help open the door to doing accurate and detailed incident investigations
• detail an individuals safety at work and much more…

Safety affects all industries ranging from academics to the government and everything in between. Small business is just as susceptible as the big companies of America and throughout the world. I've been involved with military safety, shipyard safety, and even dealt with the oil industry.

The wave of change in how safety is perceived is growing exponentially. With all the problems associated with not protecting your workers from unsafe equipment and even protecting them from themselves, money is being exchanged at alarming rates. Lawsuits are hitting many companies hard. Small businesses will close their doors if someone is hurt. Why take the chance when it comes to safety at work and protecting your workers?

The plan, do, check, act concept will allow you to sleep at night! Limit your liability by using the basic concepts presented in this blog. You will even gain knowledge on developing your very own safety checklist to cover design issues, general work practice, and deal with modifying engineering designs.

Using a simple 4-point check, general observations and task based risk assessments will ensure ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Possible) is being performed daily. Tying in all these along with the plan, do, check, act concept will create the teachable point of view in your organization that will keep your employees as safe as possible.

Besides all that - it'll keep the insurance companies and lawyers off your back! Safety at work will not only help keep cost down, it will also aid in the morale of your employees, customers and clients. We all know that clients will always choose the safest company. If your safety record is above all others in your industry, its almost a shoe-in you'll get the contract!