113 Introduction to Safety Leadership

Leaders Continually Improve

Although it's important to complete the initial and periodic/annual follow-up SMS evaluations, leaders should use continuous improvement processes, such as the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle to effectively improve the quality of the SMS.

The PDSA Cycle contains four primary steps. Below are the four steps in the never-ending PDSA cycle of continuous improvement.

1. Plan: Identify a safety goal or purpose, objectives, questions to ask/answer, and develop a plan to carry out the cycle (who, what, where, when, why).
2. Do: Carry out the plan. Document the problems and unexpected observations and begin to analyze the data.
3. Study: Monitor the outcomes of the change to test their validity. Implement the change or test on a small scale to limit variables.
4. Act: Integrate the change into the entire process. Use what you learn to adjust the goal, change methods, or even reformulate a theory altogether.
• If the safety procedure works, keep it.
• If the procedures need improvement, continue the cycle by going back to step 1 and make minor changes.
• If the procedure does not work at all, throw it out and start over.

Leaders should regularly step back, assess what is working and what is not, and determine whether the program is on track to achieve its goals. Remember, whenever a problem is identified in any part of the safety and health system, it should be thought of as an important opportunity for continuous improvement.

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