From Spring 2022 of Connected.
An effective safety program is uniquely designed to fit a company's specific industry, operations and employees. However, when safety programs are generalized or missing crucial information, this once powerful strategy becomes ineffective.
The foundation of a strong safety program starts with an understanding of the organization and its needs. This high-level overview can be achieved by performing a Safety Assessment.
ELIMINATE POTENTIAL HAZARDS WITH SAFETY ASSESSMENTS
Safety Assessments analyze potential hazards within an organization and supply critical feedback to maximize employee safety. Conducted by industry experts, safety assessments examine all functions of an operation to identify specific areas of risk. Safety assessments are the first step in reducing potential injuries, increasing productivity and efficiency. Additionally, based on customer needs, these evaluations are scalable and can vary from plant-wide audits to complex machine analysis.
TYPES OF ASSESSMENTS
- A Safety Conformity Audit is a plant-wide evaluation that examines an operation's current safety procedures, machine safety components and performance. Once completed, a report highlights areas that require safety improvements or require further assessment.
- Standard Risk Assessments provide analysis on specific areas or machines and limits company personnel involvement. The assessment report identifies immediate hazards, determines severity and probability of a risk, safety improvement recommendations and company personnel involved in the analysis.
- The Team-Based Risk Assessment has the same components of a Standard Risk Assessment but includes a few additional features. This in-depth assessment is designed to analyze critical or complex machines that encounter multiple teams from operations and maintenance to cleaning and sanitation. Additional features include risk assessment training, safety improvement plan and recommended layout.
FROM THE CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVE
Kirby Risk Automation Specialist Tim Odell recently met with a customer's newly-hired Safety Manager to discuss machine and facility safety. While walking the plant floor, the Safety Manager mentioned he was unsure where to start as there was no available documentation for the current state of safety at the facility.
“We explained that a Safety Conformity Audit could inventory all the areas that needed focus, as well as areas that are well designed as far as functional safety and lock out tag out procedures,” Odell explained.
Once the audit was complete, the customer received a report that identified an immediate risk for an operator. Nearly a month later, a near-miss was reported in the exact location identified in the assessment. Our team then developed a strategic safety plan and worked directly with the customer to implement necessary changes.
“The assessment document gave our customer a map to present to his leadership to begin funding the safety improvements,” Odell says.
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF SAFETY ASSESSMENTS:
- Compliant with internal and external safety standards
- Increase in machine productivity and efficiency
- Improved safety performance and systems
Whether your facility has been operating for decades or just opening the doors, safety assessments are the first vital step in a safety lifecycle. At Kirby Risk, we have the experts ready to assist at any step of your safety journey.