Continuous Improvement
It's important to the overall success of the safety management system that the company makes a commitment to continuous improvement of all aspects of safety and health.
One successful change management technique is to use the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Cycle. It was first developed by Dr. Walter Shewhart, and later applied by W. Edwards Deming, the father of total quality management, to transform the industry of Japan after World War II. He promoted the PDSA Cycle that was partly responsible for Japan's meteoric rise in manufacturing.
Deming believed that statistics hold the key to improving processes, and that management must take responsibility for quality in the workplace because management controls the processes.
The PDSA Cycle contains four important steps:
- Plan - plan what you're going to do
- Do - test the plan small scale
- Study - analyze the results to see if the change works
- Act - fully implement the change, or abandon it
You can learn more about this important topic in OSHAcademy Course 700, Safety and Health Management, Module 8.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
1-10. Why did Deming believe that management must take responsibility for quality in the workplace?
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