SF 345: Safety Management Programs

Assignment – Performance Measures

You are to read the three articles provided. You are to select and respond to five (5) of the questions below. Of the 5 questions you select, you must select at least one question related to each of the three articles. You are free to then select any 2 of the remaining questions.

Your responses are to identify which article your question addresses, be typed and organized so your answers are complete. Lastly you are to submit your answers by the due date.

1) Other than safety perception surveys, in the article Leading Measures, did the authors provide any other examples of leading measures that might be used to measure an organization’s safety performance? (Blair)

2) In the article Targeting Zero, does the author support the contention that zero is a good target? What are his arguments for, or against? (Burnham)

3) In the article Strategic Safety Measurements, the author uses the term Leading Indicators as a means of measuring safety performance. How does the author define this term? How does this differ from the definition used in the other articles? (Benefits)

4) Which guidance document was referenced for performance measurements in the Blair article? (Blair)

5) In the Leading Measures article, the authors discuss “soft measures”. What are some of these measures? What is your opinion of these measures? (Blair)

6) Define SMART goals. Provide an example of a smart goal for measuring the safety performance of a single site organization. (Benefits)

7) What scientific evidence is provided that supports safety and health audits as an effective and impactful indicator of safety performance? (Blair)

8) In the Strategic Safety Measurement article the author mentions means for management to make safety more visible. What did they suggest in the article to accomplish this objective? (Benefits)

9) In the Burnham article, he suggests that there may be factors outside the company’s control that may contribute to mishaps in the workplace. Describe several (at least 3) of these factors; tell me why the author suggests them as outside the control of a company’s management. To what degree do you agree or disagree with Mr. Burnham? (Burnham)

10) The authors introduce a new term, “concurrent measurement.” What is a concurrent measurement and do you think these add value to an organization’s safety efforts? Be sure to provide some substance to your answer. (Blair)

11) How many different types of safety measurements (IE lagging, concurrent, leading) indicators do Blair and O’Toole suggest to be used when measuring an organization’s safety performance? (Blair)