4 Big Data Tips for Creating a Safer Workplace

Advanced analytics is having a huge impact on fields such as marketing where it produces more sales at less cost and CRM where it boosts retention and profit per customer, to name two of many. In the field of workplace health and safety, it is safe to say that Big Data has had less impact to date. But, that is changing. A growing number of companies are analysing data through a safety lens to modify their philosophy and practices. The changes are making workplaces safer than ever.

Effectively Using the Past to Change the Future

An oft-repeated proverb says, Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. The principle could be applied to workplaces in which similar accidents happened with repetition under similar circumstances, yet without being obvious. Big Data analytics offers companies a way to drill down into information to produce a clear picture of the past, which is the basis for preventing it from happening again.

Analysing the copious information available to companies about what has already happened allows them to predict the future and then to change that future to something better, something safer, before it arrives.

A widely used process for understanding the past and changing the future is adapted from Tom Davenports book, Competing on Analytics. The backward-looking steps are:

• Know what happened by compiling safety, accident and incident reports
• Sort the report information to determine where, when, how and how frequently safety issues arose or accidents occurred
• Compile information about those involved including their safety history, number of hours worked that day and week and when in the shift an incident occurred; also compile information about the machines, equipment or material involved such as records for safety, maintenance, repair and replacement
• Apply Big Data analytics software tools to analyse the information to produce a clear picture of the past

Those foundational steps must then be acted upon to create a safer workplace for everyone. Heres how it is done with advanced analytics:

• Use what was learned from the past to predict future trends (predictive modeling)
• Determine the changes required in order to optimise safety and prevent injury
• Implement the changes, and provide the training, equipment, signage, manpower and other resources needed to make them effective

Predictive Software and Improved Safety

There are several popular predictive models using this advanced analytics strategy that provides a clear pathway from observation to analysis to change. The genre is often collectively called red flag prediction software because it alerts users to where workplace danger lurks and accidents are most likely to happen.

Software of this type has proven effective around the world in identifying workplace environments, machines and equipment, materials, practices and other conditions that put employees at risk for injury.

The benefit of using software designed to predict risks and alleviate them is that safety gains can be achieved for companies of all sizes, not just those with enormous resources to devote to advanced analytics of its safety data set.

Big Data Tips for Creating a Safer Workplace

Keeping employees, customers and others on your premises safe begins with perspective. Fewer accidents mean greater profitability according to studies that show the excellent return on investment of enhanced safety measures.

With that as a starting point, these tips for upgrading workplace health and safety through Big Data analysis will produce big dividends for you and your company.

1. Understand your safety history in detail: This is where software might help you accumulate and analyse the data you already have at your disposal.
2. Look for trends that identify red flag issues: Some are obvious, but others will only be uncovered through software-aided analysis of the safety data.
3. Make the changes indicated by what the analysis shows: Knowing where safety issues exist is meaningless without taking action to eliminate those problems. While each situation is unique, your investment in greater safety might include additional workers, better equipment, more stringent maintenance, enhanced training and upgrades to your facility.
4. Add a Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) professional to your team: WHS experts have advanced training in implementing safety measures along with a clear understanding that your company must operate on a tight budget to optimise profitability. For more information about the field of Workplace Health and Safety, take a moment to review this detailed infographic here.

What are Your Next Steps?

There are no perfectly safe workplaces, so that means that yours could probably be improved in tangible ways. Bringing a WHS pro onboard is the first step for many companies. A proven red flag prediction software is a popular next step. From there, the tips above provide a pathway to the outcome you desire a safer workplace that is an essential element of achieving a healthier bottom line too.