How to achieve your Safety resolutions in 2018

Happy New Years! As we enter into 2018, leaving 2017 in the rearview mirror, most of us have goals we hope to achieve in the next 12 months. However, despite the fact that just about everyone sets resolutions each year, research shows that 80% of people give up on their New Years resolution by the 2nd week of February! Leaving many of us with a prepaid 12 month gym membership and a fridge full of kale we’ll never use.

The biggest issue with resolutions is that what most people call “resolutions” are really just desires or fun things they wish would happen. The majority of people aren’t actually resolving anything.

If you want 2018 to a year of improvement and change then you need to begin by getting very specific with what you hope to accomplish. Health and Safety Magazine polled its readers to see what each safety professional hoped to change in the New Year and their answers did not disappoint. Two of our favorites were:

“I vow that each time I get bogged down in reporting paperwork next year, I will pop my head up every 30 minutes to remind myself what my job REALLY is – to help keep workers safe!”

“Everyone and every company should have a Zero Goal, but my resolution for the year 2018 is to have 100% employee engagement in all of my facilities; for safety at work and at home.”

While these are both great goals, they will require discipline and action to accomplish them. If you allow yourself to slip back into your routine how will there ever be any progress?

There needs to be action and systematic change to truly shift your culture. Not to worry though, now is the perfect time to do so! You’ve got the entire year ahead of you and maybe even a fresh safety budget.  How you choose to use your key resources will seep in and define your year.

So ask yourself, what specific results will you accomplish? Why are you doing it (so you can remind yourself as time goes on)? How will you do it? What tools, strategies, or resources do you need to make it happen? Commit yourself even further and write it down for yourself to review every day this year.

“Never leave the site of a goal without first taking some form of positive action towards its attainment.”

We hope you have an excellent 2018 and let’s make it the safest year to date!