Prioritizing High-Impact EHS Projects

"Everyone says their task is urgent. Which one do I do first?" This came up during a *Safety Leadership* session I recently conducted. A safety officer shared how they often receive multiple safety concerns from different departments—all marked “urgent.” Sound familiar? In the world of *HSE*, urgency is common. But *priority must be guided by risk*—not pressure. Here’s what we discussed: *1. Evaluate Risk First:* When every issue feels urgent, start with: – Which one poses the highest threat to life, environment, or equipment? – What’s the likelihood and potential impact? *2. Communicate Transparently:* Be honest about your current safety focus. Use facts, not feelings. Example: “We’re addressing a confined space issue now, which poses immediate danger. Can we schedule your observation next?” *3. Escalate When Needed:* If two high-risk tasks clash, involve your line manager or HSE lead. Joint decisions show accountability, not weakness. *4. Align With Safety Goals:* Ask: “Which task aligns with our most critical safety objectives or audit findings?” Remember: *Safety isn’t about doing everything fast—it’s about doing the right things safely.* #SafetyLeadership #Prioritization #HSEManagement #RiskAssessment #DecisionMaking #SafetyFirst #SafetybyAtish👷♂️

8-Step Project Scoring System (Use this before saying “yes”) Too many project managers take on every project that lands on their desk. Then they wonder why they’re: Burned out Buried in chaos Missing deadlines Managing low-impact work Here’s a better way: Score it first. Before committing, run each opportunity through this 8-step Project Scoring System: 1. Strategic Alignment: Does this project directly support key business objectives? 2. Executive Sponsorship: Is there visible and committed support from leadership? 3. Resource Readiness: Do we have the right people and tools available? 4. Risk Profile: What’s the level of uncertainty or exposure? 5. Stakeholder Engagement: Are the right people involved—and actively participating? 6. ROI Potential: Will this deliver measurable value (not just “busy work”)? 7. Timeline Realism: Are the deadlines achievable—or pure fantasy? 8. Team Capacity: Can we do this well without sacrificing other priorities? Score each from 1 (low) to 5 (high). 30+ points: Go for it. High-value and feasible. 20–29 points: Proceed with caution. Get clarity. Below 20: Decline or defer. The cost may outweigh the benefit. I’ve used this system to prioritize high-impact work, build trust with leadership, and protect my team from burnout. It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing what matters most. Would you use a system like this before saying “yes”?

Not All Maintenance Notifications Are Urgent or Emergencies! (Read, understand and Repost) Maintenance teams and management must stop treating every notification as an emergency. Prioritizing work based on risk is critical for efficient operations. Here's a simple framework to assess the "likelihood", "severity", and "impact" to Safety, Health, Environment (SHE) and Business/Production if a maintenance job/task remains incomplete within 2, 7, 30, 90, 180, or 365 days: 🚧 2 Days: - Likelihood: SHE: Low | Business/Production: Low - Severity: SHE: Minor | Business/Production: Minor - Impact: Slight safety or environmental risk; minimal operational hiccups. 🚧 7 Days: - Likelihood: SHE: Moderate | Business/Production: Moderate - Severity: SHE: Moderate | Business/Production: Moderate - Impact: Possible safety incidents; noticeable production delays. 🚨 30 Days: - Likelihood: SHE: High | Business/Production: High - Severity: SHE: Serious | Business/Production: Serious - Impact: Significant safety or environmental hazards; major workflow disruptions. 🚨 90 Days: - Likelihood: SHE: High | Business/Production: High - Severity: SHE: Severe | Business/Production: Severe - Impact: Critical safety or environmental violations; substantial production losses. 🚨 180 Days: - Likelihood: SHE: Very High | Business/Production: Very High - Severity: SHE: Critical | Business/Production: Critical - Impact: Severe safety or environmental damage; extended operational downtime. 🚨 365 Days: - Likelihood: SHE: Very High | Business/Production: Very High - Severity: SHE: Catastrophic | Business/Production: Catastrophic - Impact: Devastating safety or environmental harm; massive financial and operational setbacks. Set correct End Dates in the notifications so work order backlog is easily managed. Also having a risk category applied/configured in the notification can help with Planning, Scheduling and Execution stages where the IW38/IW37N report can have a column for the risk category. Planners and schedulers can filter by End Dates, Risk category and streamline their activities to ensure the execution teams have the right jobs in the weekly schedule. 💡Takeaway: Implement a risk-based approach to prioritize maintenance notifications. This ensures resources are allocated effectively, protecting SHE and minimizing business disruptions. Let’s work smarter, not harder!