Health & Safety Benchmarking Principles & Practice

Benchmarking is a simple concept – improving ourselves by learning from others although rather less than simple to implement. It usually involves regularly comparing aspects of performance (functions or processes) with best practitioners, identifying gaps in performance, seeking fresh approaches to bring about improvements in performance, following through with implementing improvements and following up by monitoring progress and reviewing the benefits. With encouragement from HSE, it is increasingly being applied in the world of health and safety.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, the delegates will be able to:

• Reduce accidents and occupational ill-health
• Improve legal compliance
• Reduce compliance costs

If you have already come a long way in these areas, benchmarking is the next best step in order to identify further opportunities for improvement.

Who Should Attend?

This course is designed for anyone with responsibility for health and safety including health and safety managers and advisers, HR directors and managers, facilities, maintenance and engineering managers. This thoroughly practical programmed will help everyone maximize the benefits of the benchmarking process, improved systems, reduced injuries and associated costs, better and cheaper compliance and enhanced reputation (both internally and externally).

Course Outline

Day 1
What is Benchmarking?

• Definition of benchmarking
• Aims and objectives of benchmarking
• Principal features of the benchmarking process
• Identifying best practice
• Identifying your current position and problem areas
• Selecting benchmarking partners: internally and externally
• Setting performance indicators
• Measuring and comparing performance
• Learning and acting on lessons learned
• Monitoring for continuing improvement
• The cost of benchmarking

Day 2
Health and Safety Benchmarking

• Definition
• Health and safety benchmarking policies
• Objectives
• The significance of well-defined performance indicators
• Involving senior management

Deciding what to Benchmark

• Selecting aspects of health and safety for benchmarking
• Premises
• Processes
• Work activities
• Work groups
• Specific examples of benchmarking topics

Day 3
Getting Started

• Auditing the current health and safety management system
• Safety audits
• Organizing reference sources
• Regulations, Approved Codes of Practice, HSE Guidance
• Industry health and safety standards
• Risk assessment information
• Internal and external injury and ill-health data
• Feedback from safety monitoring activities
• Safety audits
• Safety inspections
• Safety sampling exercises
• Example of a safety sampling document
• Establishing performance indicators
• The limitations of accident data as a sole measure of performance

Selecting Partners

• Internal and external partners
• Advantages and disadvantages of internal and external benchmarking
• Agreeing a benchmarking partnership

Day 4
Working with your Partner

• Understanding your partner’s operations
• Joint information requirements
• Exchanging information
• Agreeing performance indicators
• Corporate Health and Safety Performance Index (CHaSPI) (HSE)
• Agreeing individual responsibilities for the benchmarking partnership
• Procedures for site visits

Learning – and Acting on Lessons Learned

• Learning from others
• Devising an action plan
• Setting individual responsibilities and getting commitment
• Implementing your action plan
• Monitoring progress in the action plan
• Pointers to success

Day 5
The Benefits

• Enhanced reputation
• Reduced injury and ill-health costs
• Improved health and safety management systems

Benchmarking Technique
The final session involves a syndicate exercise in benchmarking techniques

Course Methodology

A variety of methodologies will be used during the course that includes:

• (30%) Based on Case Studies
• (30%) Techniques
• (30%) Role Play
• (10%) Concepts
• Pre-test and Post-test
• Variety of Learning Methods
• Lectures
• Case Studies and Self Questionaires
• Group Work
• Discussion
• Presentation

Course Fees

This rate includes participant’s manual, Hand-Outs, buffet lunch, coffee/tea on arrival, morning & afternoon of each day.

Course Timings

Daily Course Timings
08:00 - 08:20 Morning Coffee / Tea
08:20 - 10:00 First Session
10:00 - 10:20 Coffee / Tea / Snacks
10:20 - 12:20 Second Session
12:20 - 13:30 Lunch Break & Prayer Break
13:30 - 15:00 Last Session