Second opinions are an important tool used in many industries to help make critical business decisions. We see them employed regularly in medicine, law, real estate, finance, and even construction — as the old adage goes, measure twice, cut once.
The reason second opinions are so highly regarded in a variety of applications is because perspective is valuable prior to acting. Bringing in a fresh set of eyes to evaluate a situation or conclusion before putting a plan or process in motion provides unique insight into whether that action will lead to the desired effect. Perspective saves times, saves money, and saves face, allowing organizations to maximize their resources to achieve results.
This ideology is as true in safety as it is in any other industry. Bringing in an outside safety team to conduct a safety analysis helps organizations better understand their safety needs and achieve their safety goals with actionable plans and processes.
A Judgment-Free Zone
An outside safety evaluation is meant to be personal, but not judgmental. Some organizations worry that bringing in an “outsider” will lead to the organization being personally judged for risks or issues that have been overlooked. But the point of an outside safety evaluation is not to cast opinions or judgements on a workplace. The goal of an outside safety analysis is to help strengthen organizations through education, action, and process improvement. And an outside safety team needs to bring up safety procedural blind spots when they are found in service to their goal.
Pointing out where there are risks and where safety improvements can be made is done in the best interest of an organization and its employees. Because seeing where safety gaps exist is the first step toward defining a safety action plan, increasing efficiency, and increasing employee morale.
Too Close for Comfort
Optimum Safety Management, uses thorough evaluations to drill down to measurable, actionable insights and tailor holistic safety plans for a business. This is best achieved by an outside safety team specifically because being outsiders puts the team in a unique position.
The safety team is unbiased and objective as they approach the organization’s work as a third-party. The team’s perspective is also able to remain analytic about an organization’s processes and procedures because the team is focused on how work is done, not on the end product itself.
Working on the same process day-in and day-out can lead insiders and employees to overlook minor, unsafe details as those details become part of their working routine. Outsiders remain in a position above this background noise as they learn an organization’s workflow, procedures, and structure from the top-down. The outside team can leverage their macro-perspective to spot those minute safety details that would otherwise fall through the cracks.
Addressing one minute safety detail alone may not change much for an organization’s safety record. But amassing every minute detail reveals a tapestry of KPIs that an organization can use to focus their safety resources and budget more precisely, better utilizing their time, effort, and people to achieve greater results.
The perspective from working with a trusted third-party safety team is an invaluable resource. Optimum Safety Management is committed to providing organizations with a comprehensive safety analysis that is thorough, but approachable. All insights gained from the P3 Safety Culture Analysis™ are available in one easy-to-understand graphic — the Safety Snapshot. Optimum leverages quantifiable safety metrics to craft a holistic safety plan by working with organizations and encouraging their input throughout the process. Because every employer is unique, every employee can contribute to the plan to achieve organizational safety goals, no matter how large their contribution.
Optimum Safety Management provides the information and services to help companies develop safety leaders and improve overall safety performance. For more information on how Optimum Safety Management can assist with your businesses’ safety needs, contact an expert today, or reach out via phone at 630-759-9908.
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