A fresh year is the perfect moment to turn intent into action. If your workplace safety ambitions lived mostly in spreadsheets and stand-ups in 2025, let’s turn them into clear, owned, time-bound commitments for 2026. Below are 12 practical resolutions—each designed to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound)—that you can roll out on Day 1 and track all year.

Resolution 1: Put workplace safety goals in writing (make them SMART)

Translate broad aspirations into measurable targets (e.g., “Cut recordable incidents by 20% by Q4,” “Raise training completion to 98% by June,” “Close CAPA in ≤10 business days”). Assign owners, budgets, and deadlines. Publish the goals internally so every team knows what “good” looks like and how you’ll measure it.

Resolution 2: Run a Q1 comprehensive audit focused on workplace safety

Schedule a top-to-bottom review of sites, procedures, and legal registers in Q1. Capture findings with evidence (photos, timestamps), prioritize by risk, and lock in closure dates. Wrap with a leadership readout: what you found, what you’ll fix, and how you’ll verify effectiveness.

Resolution 3: Level up training and competency for workplace safety

Map mandatory topics by role (confined space, LOTO, hot work, working at height, ergonomics). Close gaps with blended learning (micro-modules + drills + practical demos). Track certifications and set auto-reminders for refreshers. Link competency to permit approvals for high-risk tasks.

Resolution 4: Strengthen near-miss reporting to improve workplace safety

Make it effortless to report (QR codes, mobile forms, anonymous option). Celebrate useful reports; never punish honesty. Investigate significant near-misses with 5-Whys, publish lessons learned in a monthly bulletin, and trend the data to catch weak signals early.

Resolution 5: Upgrade inspections & checklists that support workplace safety

Standardize digital checklists for assets, PPE, housekeeping, and critical controls. Add photo evidence, severity tags, and auto-created actions for failures. Use scheduling to ensure nothing is forgotten and dashboards to spot repeat non-conformances.

Resolution 6: Modernize permit-to-work to safeguard workplace safety

Digitize PTW for hot/cold work, energized systems, and confined spaces. Build in prerequisite checks (gas tests, isolations, HIRA), multi-level approvals, and expiry/extension logic. Require close-out photos and post-job debriefs to capture learnings.

Resolution 7: Tighten contractor controls to protect workplace safety

Vet vendors before they arrive (policies, injury history, certifications). Onboard at the gate with site-specific inductions and PPE verification. Track contractor observations and incidents separately so you can compare trends and hold the right parties accountable.

Resolution 8: Refresh emergency readiness (people, equipment, scenarios)

Reconfirm muster points, update wardens, and run scenario drills beyond fire: chemical spill, medical emergency, power loss, severe weather. Test alarms, radios, eyewash/showers, AEDs, and backup lighting. After each drill, action the gaps and re-test.

Resolution 9: Close CAPA faster to lift workplace safety

Treat corrective and preventive actions like mini-projects: clear owners, due dates, evidence on completion, and verification of effectiveness. Watch time-to-close as a KPI. Escalate overdue actions automatically so risks don’t linger.

Resolution 10: Use data dashboards to steer workplace safety

Bring incidents, near-misses, permits, inspections, training, and audits into one view. Track both leading and lagging indicators, compare sites/contractors/shifts, and spotlight repeat hazards. Review monthly with operations leaders; decide one “focus hazard” to tackle each cycle.

Resolution 11: Reinforce leadership behaviors for workplace safety

Leaders set the tone. Put safety walks on calendars, require visible PPE compliance, and start meetings with a safety share. Recognize crews for good catches and safe improvisation. When leaders model the standard, participation follows.

Resolution 12: Adopt an AI-ready roadmap for workplace safety

Pilot practical use-cases: computer-vision PPE checks in critical zones, anomaly alerts from sensors, and AI-assisted triage of reports. Keep ethics, privacy, and transparency front-and-center. Measure impact (fewer repeat hazards, faster response) before scaling.

Implementation tips that make resolutions stick

• Prioritize by risk: If everything is critical, nothing is. Rank by likelihood × severity and start there.
• Make progress visible: Monthly scorecards and wallboards keep momentum high.
• Budget the basics: Good PPE, reliable tools, and refresher drills beat flashy posters every time.
• Close the loop: Tell teams what changed because they spoke up; it builds trust and more reporting.
• Automate reminders: People forget; systems don’t. Let tooling chase due dates, not your supervisors.

Where OQSHA fits in

These resolutions are far easier when your program runs on one platform. OQSHA helps you:

• Run digital HIRA and attach them to permits and MOC.
• Issue e-PTW with prerequisite checks, approvals, and auditable close-outs.
• Log incidents/near-misses on mobile (with photos, geo-tags) and auto-create actions.
• Schedule inspections, calibrations, and PPE checks with proof of completion.
• Manage MoC and PSSR so changes and startups don’t skip critical safeguards.
• Track training, certifications, and expiries with role-based matrices.
• See live dashboards of leading/lagging indicators and export audit-ready reports.

Your first week of 2026 (a quick start)

• Day 1–2: Publish the 12 resolutions and owners.
• Day 3: Kick off the Q1 audit plan and safety walks.
• Day 4: Turn on simple QR hazard reporting and announce recognition for the best “save of the month.”
• Day 5: Review your top two high-energy jobs and hard-gate them behind digital permits and current risk assessments.

Set the bar early, keep the cadence steady, and make improvements visible. That’s how a year of intent becomes a year of measurable results.

Call to action
Ready to operationalize these resolutions without drowning in spreadsheets? See how OQSHA helps teams plan, execute, and prove outcomes across permits, incidents, actions, MOC/PSSR, inspections, training, and analytics.
Book a 30-minute walkthrough and start 2026 with momentum.