When is a Health & Safety action actually complete?

It’s easy to mark an action as complete.

The harder question is whether the issue has actually been dealt with.

For example, an inspection finds that staff are not following a safe system of work. An action is raised to provide refresher training.

The training is delivered, so the action gets closed.

But if people are still working the same way afterwards, has the problem really been fixed?

That’s the difference between completing the action and closing the risk.

What should you check?

Before closing an action, ask a few simple questions:

• Has the action actually been carried out?
• Is there evidence to show what was done?
• Has it dealt with the original issue?
• Do we need to check again later to make sure it has worked?

For something simple, like replacing a damaged sign, a photo might be enough.

For something more significant, like changing a working method or introducing new equipment, it may be worth checking again after a few weeks to make sure the change is actually working in practice.

Don’t focus too much on 100% completion

A dashboard showing 100% of actions complete looks great, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the business is managing Health & Safety well.

Actions should not be closed just to improve the numbers.

Sometimes an open action with a clear owner, realistic deadline and good progress is better than a closed action that hasn’t really solved anything.

Where SafeChain fits in

This is part of the thinking behind action management in SafeChain.

SafeChain helps businesses assign actions, set deadlines, track progress and keep evidence in one place.

But the system itself can’t decide whether an issue has genuinely been fixed. That still needs someone to look at the original concern and make a sensible judgement.

Whether you use SafeChain, a spreadsheet or another system, the principle is the same:

Don’t just ask, “Have we completed the action?”

Ask:

“Have we actually fixed the problem?”