The Safety Culture Snapshot

Action Planning Template - Example

EXAMPLE - Action Planning Template
	What work happened to develop the plan?
Safety Culture Category: Reporting & Leaning for Safety	The H&S Coordinator looked at the Snapshot results and the lowest score was for Reporting and Learning for safety– red flagging it as an area worth exploring.
Understanding the problem: Poor feedback to and from the guys Incidents not getting reported or reports coming in very late There is some “fear” of reporting Poor understanding what information the reports need to include The report forms are too complex	Following the Snapshot results, the H&S Coordinator had a talk with the foreman and the H&S rep to get their thoughts on the reporting form and process from a ‘coal face perspective’ – and they agreed that the form was too complicated and the guys did not know why reporting was important as they never see what happens with the results. It also emerged they worried that reporting an accident might result in disciplinary action. He also looked at the some of the historical reports and could see they were poorly completed.
Goals: Improve frontline understanding of why reporting is important Increase reporting levels All incidents are reported and investigated	Based on the H&S Coordinator’s discussions with the foreman and H&S Rep, as well as his review of previous reports he identified these 3 goals as achievable and directly linked to the problem.

Action steps to be taken	By who	By when	Resources needed	Barriers	Who to inform
1. Look at how others are reporting incidents Talk to other businesses or your industry association Talk about how the guys think reporting could be simplified/improved	H&S coordinator	By June	Internet Team meeting time Time to talk to other businesses Safety Briefings - Reporting and investigating / Learning from mistakes Safety Briefings – Employee Involvement	Reluctance of other businesses to share information Frontline reluctance to share ideas No understanding of report requirement or importance of reporting Literacy and numeracy of front line	Employees Contractors
2. Review and improve the reporting form and reporting process	H&S coordinator	Mid July	Time to do the work Computer / Internet Safety Briefings - Reporting and investigating / Learning from mistakes Safety Briefings – Safety communications	Availability of existing paperwork	Owner H&S Rep Foreman
3. Team meeting to test and review the prototype form and reporting process Refine the form or process as needed	H&S coordinator Frontline team	Early August	Team meeting time Time to do the work Coaching for Safety – Holding and Facilitating effective meetings Coaching for Safety – Questions	Making time to have the meeting Team reluctance to make a contribution Team confusion on what is being asked of them and why	Team Contractors
4. Meeting to introduce the new form and process to the foreman and H&S rep so they are on board and know why and how to use the new form and process	H&S coordinator	Mid August	Meeting time Coaching for Safety – Holding and Facilitating effective meetings Coaching for Safety – Questions	Making time to have the meeting Resistance if they feel their ideas haven’t been listened to	Foreman H&S Rep
5. Team meeting to introduce the new form and process to the frontline and provide some introductory training for H&S rep Could use model report forms or example safety alerts to show the value of reporting alerts (own crew examples) Could do some analysis of hazards with the crew to show them how the information can be used	H&S coordinator Foreman H&S Rep Owner (to signal importance)	Mid August	Team meeting time Coaching for Safety – Holding and Facilitating effective meetings Coaching for Safety – Questions Training materials (e.g. examples of good reporting forms, or industry alerts)	Resistance and no confidence to report after negative consequences or inaction previously Literacy and numeracy problems at the front line Simplicity of the paperwork	Team Contractors Owner
6. Set up and roll out a rewards programme for improved reporting rates. Ask the team what would make a good reward (e.g. fuel vouchers, grocery vouchers?) Let the team know what the rewards will be given for (e.g. near miss reports? Complete forms? Timely forms) Do it regularly – fortnightly or monthly to reinforce the right behaviours Get the owner to give the reward – sends the right message	H&S coordinator Owner	September onwards	Budgets Small gift / rewards Safety Briefing – Rewards Safety Briefings – Employee Involvement Safety Briefings – Management’s leadership commitment to safety	Employees not clear what is being rewarded Literacy and numeracy problems No confidence to report after negative consequences or inaction previously	Team Contractors
7. Monitor the reporting rates and reporting quality – review and refine the form and process as needed	H&S coordinator	Quarterly	Reporting data Time		Team Owner

What’s good about this plan?

It’s not rocket science

The problem is well understood. There is an understanding of the specific things that need to be fixed. The Snapshot helped red flag the area, but it was the follow up discussions and work that confirmed there was a problem, and identified some of the causes.

Spending time and involving the team to drill into what’s going wrong ensures the goals and actions focus on the right solutions.

The goals are achievable and realistic. This plan is not trying to change the world. Rather it focuses on something that can be realistically delivered. There is nothing more daunting than a plan that is 10 pages long and never seems to end.

The actions are simple and logical. Actions are the small steps needed to achieve the goal. They are each logical thing that someone will actually do – however small or obvious.

A common mistake is to miss the baby steps and jump straight to the bigger actions. But what needs to happen first, before the programme can be introduced? There needs to be homework, a proposal needs to be developed, a meeting booked and the boss needs to make a decision.