Applying Predictive Analytics to Improve Risk Management Part Two

Posted by Paradigm on July 31, 2012 under General | Read the First Comment

Workplace safety professionals now have access to advanced predictive analytics that can help anticipate workplace injuries with a high level of accuracy. Predictive Solutions, in a white paper titled, “Predictive Analytics in Workplace Safety,” offers four “safety truths” that can be used to reduce a company’s incident rate and to keep it low.

• More inspections predict a safer worksite. In Predictive Solutions’ study, performed in cooperation with Carnegie Mellon University, the “higher the volume of inspection,” the lower the number of injuries/incidents. Even if the results of initial inspections are poor, the long-term safety outcome improves as on-site inspectors develop safety checklists designed to hold workers accountable over time.
• More inspectors outside the safety role predict a safer worksite. The probability of workplace accidents decreases as the number and diversity of people performing inspections increases. Throughout the study, sites with multiple qualified inspectors reported better safety records than sites with few professional inspectors. A larger number of diverse inspectors performing a few inspections actually had a better result than a few safety inspectors conducting similar inspections repeatedly.
• Too many 100% ratings on safety inspections predict an unsafe worksite. If inspectors continually report there are no unsafe or at-risk conditions, they’re probably not doing their jobs properly. In the study, the sites with the 100 percent safety ratings were invariably “the most unsafe worksites.” Even the safest worksites occasionally report unsafe conditions. Safety ratings of 100 percent may mean that your business doesn’t have access to the real information.
• Too many unsafe observations predict an unsafe worksite. Although occasional unsafe conditions will show up in accurate reporting, reports that continually contain a high number of instances of unsafe conditions are obviously an indication of dangerous circumstances. Even if you’re adhering to the first three “safety truths,” you must respond to the results of inspections and analytics by implementing new safety protocols to improve unsafe conditions. 

Once a company uses the information from predictive analytics to improve risk management, the number of data points associated with accidents will drop off as accident rates decrease. Companies will then need to find other data points to monitor workplace safety.

The Paradigm Difference

Despite the best risk management practices, rare catastrophic injuries still occur. When they do, turn to a partner like Paradigm. Paradigm uses sophisticated analytics to prepare care plans and help injured workers achieve the best possible medical outcomes and return to work.

Paradigm’s custom-built infrastructure uses 20-plus years of historical data and proprietary models to identify recovery risks, resource needs and care needs. Starting with the most comprehensive set of data on catastrophic and complex medical cases in the nation, we analyze results and apply a proprietary Clinical Complexity Indicator that reflects the anticipated resources required to take a specific injured worker to the highest possible Paradigm Outcome Level.

For more information, contact us via our website or call 888-621-6602. We also invite you to join our social communities on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.