Planning for 2021 by Suzanne Dixon

I’ve been spending a bit of the time working on the business this week, planning both my business strategy and health and safety strategy for 2021.

Lockdown, a time to review

Lockdown has certainly given me food for though.  What do I enjoy doing and why, where do I want the business to grow, what do I want it to look like this time next year?

What sort of businesses do I want to reach out to?

I need to think about my staff too, what do they want to do, can their ideas be developed and how can I help them grow professionally.  Cliché as it sounds, it’s a changing world out there, have I fully prepped our business and employees for that journey?

Planning the next steps of Kedleston Safety

I have been working with a marketeer to help me put a strategic plan in place to help me deliver the goals I have set for 2021. In the past I believed I could be and do everything ON MY OWN.  As a business owner you have an overview on everything needed to run a business, however, knowing does not make you an expert!

That’s why businesses engage our services, they have an overview of health and safety; the soft visuals and common sense stuff has been taken care of. Staff have their PPE, signage is displayed, people have been told not do things in an unsafe way. Fire alarms are tested, and fire extinguishers are in place. But are the health and safety foundations laid, is the legal stuff in place?

Are you planning your next steps?

December is a good month to audit yourself, review your health and safety documentation and management procedures.

With the year going quickly by and all the changes that have happened this year (there have been a few!) looking back to plan forward is smart. Did some mention Covid19?

Have you check that your paperwork is still accurate and that your policies and procedures are working and keeping people safe?  Have there been any changes in legislation recently which could impact your business? Have you bought a new piece of machinery or equipment, have you changed your processes or methods of work? If so, you will need to update your risk assessments and other paperwork to account for this. The important things is to carry out your annual review around the same time every year so that your documents and procedures don’t go out of date.

Why do you need a plan?

Having a health and safety plan for the year is a great idea. To do this you will firstly need to review the past 12 months, this is how you find out where you are now. It will form the basis on which you set this year’s goals and targets.

For example, were there any common trends in the causes of injuries or incidents? When you did your annual review did you identify any repeated areas of concern or weakness?  Once you have done this you can move onto the next step of setting goals and objectives, remember to make them SMART! Identify what you need to do for each goal, break it down into individual tasks and give a deadline to each task. Give someone the responsibility or ownership of goals and tasks, this could be your safety committee or a manager.  Most importantly share with your staff what you are doing so everyone knows.

What’s up next?

I’ve been mapping out pivotal health and safety moments through the year and next time I will share these with you.  But for now, have a go at setting your own health and safety goals and identify the resources you need to achieve them.  Don’t forget you can use a range of skills from across your business and an outsourced provider too should you need their expertise!

Suzanne Dixon CMIOSH

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