How can you accurately report safety activities?

1 Why report safety activities?

Reporting safety activities is not just a mundane task; it is an important part of a field service engineer's professional responsibility and accountability. By reporting safety activities, you can show compliance with standards and regulations, such as OSHA, ANSI, or ISO. It can also document your work history and achievements, as well as any difficulties you faced. You can provide feedback to your employer, client, and colleagues on how to improve safety performance and culture. Additionally, you can identify safety risks, hazards, and incidents and take corrective and preventive actions. Moreover, it can be a great opportunity to learn from your own and others' experiences, as well as share best practices and lessons learned.

3 What to report?

Reporting safety activities involves more than just negative or problematic events, such as accidents or injuries. It is also about reporting positive or successful events, including completed tasks, achieved goals, and recognized achievements. For example, you should report the results of safety inspections and audits, the completion of safety training and education courses, participation in safety meetings and briefings, and any safety performance indicators or targets that have been achieved. Include details such as the date, duration, agenda, outcomes, data, evidence, metrics, and any certificates or rewards that were received or given. Doing this will help to ensure that all safety activities are properly documented.

4 How to improve?

Reporting safety activities is not a one-time or static activity, but rather a continuous and dynamic process that requires constant improvement and adaptation. To do this, you should periodically review and evaluate your safety reports and the feedback you received. Additionally, actively seek and provide feedback and suggestions on safety reporting from your employer, client, colleagues, and peers. It is also important to continuously learn and update your knowledge and skills on safety reporting standards, regulations, formats, and tools. Lastly, explore and adopt new and innovative ways and tools to report safety activities such as mobile apps, cloud platforms, or artificial intelligence to enhance your human judgment and communication.

5 How to benefit?

Reporting safety activities is not only a duty or a chore, but also a benefit and an opportunity for field service engineers. Doing so can enhance their reputation and credibility, advance their career and development, contribute to their employer's and client's success, and support their industry's and society's welfare and sustainability. It demonstrates competence and excellence in safety performance and reporting, delivers safe and efficient services and solutions, and promotes and practices safety culture and awareness.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?