Introduction
The HSE Performance Reviews and Continuous Improvement is backbone of every successful management system, basically its represent proactive approach and responsible to implement HSE obligation within the organization and their projects. Basically performance will be reviewed based on the existing policies and procedures established, and beyond expectations. Its through review and look for an opportunity for an improvement within the organization to ensure the organization meet the local and international standard and additional industries best practices that bring sustainable outcomes.
This article define the structured methodology evaluate HSE performance against established policies, procedures, work instruction and identifying gaps, implementing necessary corrective actions to implement effective HSE management system across the business. However performance metrics will be form and developed according to business nature to address all business issues individually by implementing review mechanism, evaluation procedure top leadership involvement and strategic initiatives.
1. Purpose and Objectives
The primary purpose of the HSE performance evaluation and reviews is to measure the effectiveness of HSE management system to make sure organization meet the organizational objectives, legal requirement and industries practices.
The key objectives include:
- Top management or internal auditor assessing compliance according to established internal HSE policies, procedures and local and international regulatory obligations
- Each departmental or HSE head measuring the effectiveness of implemented safety controls and risk mitigation measures
- Systematically Identifying gaps and weaknesses and internal issues.
- Enhance accountability within the organization at all levels.
- Accordingly developing continuous improvement action plan to build positive safety culture and sustainable environmental.
- As per the performance evaluation, learning outcomes must be shared with the entire management.
2. Scope of HSE Performance Reviews
The HSE performance reviews will be apply to all applicable operational areas such as each departments, all projects, contractors and subcontractors, and support functions within the organization.
- Incident/accidents and near-miss trends
- Audit, inspection and walkthrough findings
- Record all Corrective and preventive action status
- Compliance with local regulatory and client requirements
- Defined training matrix and method for the training effectiveness
- Emergency preparedness readiness as per the nature of the business
- Adverse Environmental impact evaluation
- Worker behavior & engagement for reporting workplace issues.
3. Levels of HSE Performance Reviews
The criteria and level of performance review to ensure comprehensive evaluation, performance reviews and feedback are conducted at different all levels within the organization.
3.1 Site-Level Reviews
Site level review and performance evaluation need to conducted on a regular basis by the site management team and corporate team to ensure site team are well aligned with the established guidelines. Regular performance review serve as proactive approach towards identifying potential risk areas and ongoing existing implementation of the procedure consistently on the across site.
During these management review, team evaluate several key components of the site operation, these are the following elements.
- Deep Review of the past incidents, accident, occupational illness and unsafe conditions
- All the record of corrective actions taken
- Complete records of Safety observations and behavioral trends
- Record of Equipment inspection & failure and facility safety status
- Workforce reported concerns records and worker suggestion register
3.2 Departmental Reviews
Departmental review shall be conducted at certain interval to ensure safety performance and trend analysis of their safety issues. Day to day operation observation indicate the effectiveness of the departmental performance and additional safety requirement. The main objective of the departmental review is to ensure all operational activities are well aligned with defined operational procedure.
- Evaluation of compliance with the established HSE procedures
- Effectiveness of training programs via regular written or verbal assessment
- Contractor performance review to meet the contractual agreement
- Ensuring sufficient resources are available for safe operation
3.3 Management Review Meetings
The senior management review meeting are the most important element for effectively management of occupational health and safety at workplace. These meetings are usually conducted periodically intervals continuous improvement and ensure meet the organizational objectives.
- Conduct overall HSE performance
- Review all past incidents and investigation report and look for trend
- Review internal and external audit outcomes to check the compliance status
- Ensuring the all essential resources are provided as per the task
- Evaluating the effectiveness of the risk management strategy
- Possible recommendation for HSE performance improvement
4. Performance Review Process
The HSE performance review has structured procedure to ensure that organization meet all applicable obligation. A well established procedure can assist organization to monitor their progress for achieving objectives.
4.1 Data Collection and Analysis
During the performance review all required information must be gather to have detailed analysis
- All incident report must be carefully review such as incident, accident, first aid cases, near misses, and any hazardous occurrence.
- Inspection and audit plan along the conducted report.
- Safety observation register which consist of unsafe act, unsafe condition and behavior.
- Issues closing or corrective action register.
- If there any regulatory inspection to be considered for the data analysis
- All employees suggestion and their feedback to be review
- Identify the potential gaps and opportunity for the improvement.
4.2 Evaluation Against Standards
According to the performance evaluation process, all collected information and records should be analyze against the established Standards. Key personnel’s such as top management or departmental leads should compare the actual performance with defined benchmark.
- Prepare & review organizational HSE policies
- Establishing legal register to ensure all legal obligation are meet
- Review and ensuring contractual agreement
- Preparing internal procedure and relevant standards
- Encourage to adhere industries best practice
4.3 Identification of Improvement Opportunities
According to outcomes of the performance review, audit findings, inspection observation, and past incident records should consider for the continuous improvement of HSE management system. This process will assist top management to make decision to achieve highest level of safety performance. As per the outcomes the following things to be changes
- Review and revise procedure
- Established effective supervision
- Provide update tools and equipment
- Develop training program
- Use native language to communication and understanding
4.4 Action Planning and Implementation
For each identified concern should be necessary action taken to immediate rectification, strong action planning will ensure all identified issues, non conformities and risk are effectively and systematically managed. For each identified issues necessary preventive and corrective action taken to eliminating the root cause to prevent reoccurrence. At top management must make plan for deploy accountable person to manage and control effectively along with completion time line.
4.5 Follow-Up and Verification
Its very important aspect to ensuring compliance of identifies issues. A systematic procedure for the follow up and verification to ensure corrective measure are effectively implemented. Additionally, they have to collect feedback and suggestion from the ground staff to determine the anything required.
5. Continuous Improvement Framework
All organization must established the structure approach that aligned with Plan, Do, Check, & Act (PDCA) cycle.
- At planning stage, mainly focusing on improvement where required such as preparing procedure, risk assessment, inspection and audit plan etc. which directly assisting organization to enhance existing safety management system.
- At DO Stage, Its basically implementing planned action into the operation strategies, these could include changing the work process, change in work equipment, establishing training & awareness program etc.
- At check stage, evaluating the implemented action effectiveness of the improvement and achieving the intended result.
- At the ACT Stage, as per the outcomes of performance evaluation either expected result achieve or any gaps presence. If result achieve, make standardize and integrate into operation. If any gaps, the entire system must be reassess to rebuilt new strategies and procedure for the task.
6. Learning from Incidents and Near Misses
All workplace incidents must be communicated with entire team in their native language to understand the possible root causes of the incident to prevent similar incidents at the workplace. Those organisation emphasising of continuous learning and education of the employee's will always be proactive for their employees and operational improvement, to let employees better equipped with essential knowledge and experiences, make them aware of handling similar situations to reduce the accidents, near misses, and reduce the risk of exposure.
Conclusion
The performance review is mandatory to every organisation for the continuous improvement that includes structured process to assess how effectively HSE policies, procedures, and necessary safety control measures implementation. The performance review shall be carried out by the strong leadership involvement and active participation in HSE activities. Top management shall demonstrate the commitment to supporting to take improvement initiatives and major contributions from the workforce in reporting workplace safety issues, such as hazards, risk, any unsafe act, condition and behaviour, provide suggestions and feedback about the condition, which helps top management to build positive safety culture.
A critical element of this process exchange the information and experience during the review of accident, incident, first aid cases, inspection records, and Audit findings. Based on that organisation can do the analysis and identify the gaps & weaknesses in the existing system that requires immediate attention for the improvement.
By integrating performance evaluation into the operational activities where learning and improvement are in the top priorities of the organisation. These proactive approach will definitely build a positive safety culture and maintain safe working workplace.
