In a 2000 survey, the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) reported that its members were spending almost 50% of their time on activities other than industrial hygiene.1 In the two decades since, that trend doesn’t appear to have slowed. Companies appear to be shifting, more and more, toward a generalist approach to health & safety (H&S) management, where H&S professionals are forced to “wear many hats,” instead of focusing on a single area of study.
This shift creates a very practical challenge for H&S professionals: How do you remain effective while your responsibilities continue to increase? It means that H&S professionals need to find ways not only to be effective, but also efficient. These two terms are often confused.
Effectiveness generally describes the ability to achieve a desired end-result. In contrast, efficiency refers to the ability to produce a desired result with an optimal use of resources. In other words, can we achieve our goals while reducing unnecessary waste—whether in terms of time, money or material used.
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