Safety Reimagined: Setting Goals That Actually Drive Change
- Cottingham & Butler
- Nov 11
- 1 min read
Our recent webinar, "Safety Reimagined: Setting Goals That Actually Drive Change," challenged traditional compliance-focused metrics and offered practical strategies for developing safety goals that empower your workforce, build organizational resilience, and create a culture of continuous learning rather than blame. SMSC Safety Consultant Scott Christenson provided valuable takeaways to implement in your own safety programs. If you were unable to attend or want to revisit this session, view the webinar recording now!
Key Takeaways:
Balance lagging and leading indicators. Use lagging indicators to validate system performance and leading indicators to guide proactive improvement efforts
Make goals learning-oriented and context-aware. Shift from zero-harm targets to goals focused on understanding how work is actually done and improving systems based on that reality.
Involve frontline workers in the process. Engage the people doing the work in creating goals to ensure they're practical, relevant, and aligned with actual working conditions.
Keep goals SMART and HOP-aligned. Structure goals to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, while maintaining the adaptability needed to respond to real-world complexity.
Review and adjust regularly. Goals and indicators should be revisited frequently to ensure they remain relevant and responsive to changing conditions.