We wanted to spend some time discussing the final step of implementation, the Acknowledge Successes and Improvements Step.
Often overlooked, the Acknowledge Successes and Improvements Step is a mandatory requirement of your Excellence program’s implementation. This step requires you to look for any deficiencies and create a documented Action Plan based on the results of your Evaluation Step. If no deficiencies are found, your organization is to take the time to acknowledge and celebrate the success of what is working. After all, you have communicated the topic out to all employees, why not communicate the end result as well. Always remember, Steps 2 and 5 should be communicated to all employees.
It is important to remember that the identification of deficiencies during the Evaluation step is a positive
experience and you will not be penalized by the WSIB as a result of their identification. Deficiencies are a
common outcome of implementation and they also serve as proof that your Evaluation Step was effective.
If a deficiency is identified, the WSIB will not be looking to see how your organization fixed the deficiency. Instead, they will be looking to see how your organization plans to correct the deficiency through the use of a documented Action Plan. At minimum, the Action Plan should include the identified deficiency(s), a 2-3 sentence plan on how the deficiency will be resolved, who is responsible for implementing the action plan, as well as a reasonable timeline for completion.
We must emphasize that the timeline for completion must be reasonable and related to the action plan
itself. For example, if your organization had selected the Risk Assessment topic and your Evaluation found that the completed Risk Assessment was not posted on the Health and Safety board, it would be
unreasonable to set a timeline for completion at 2 months from now. However, if the Evaluation found that your Risk Assessment did not include Workplace Violence and Harassment hazards, it would be
reasonable to set a timeline for completion at 2 months from now so that the Risk Assessment could be
updated.
In the event that no deficiencies are identified during the Evaluation, it is important to take the time and
acknowledge the success of your implementation. The acknowledgment of success could be an email or memo to all employees thanking them for their efforts in implementing the topics as well as the sharing of the success you have identified in your evaluation. You can (if budget allows) have some sort of reward, like a pizza party or some other celebration, but you still must have proof that the step was completed. We suggest at a minimum a copy of the email/memo, but you could also include pictures of the celebration if you decide to have one.