Any organization that respects the health and welfare of its workers must measure and monitor workplace safety. It can be difficult to choose the appropriate workplace safety criteria to evaluate safety performance, though.
While there are legal responsibilities for maintaining records of occurrences and injuries, businesses must do more than simply review historical data. Using both leading and trailing indicators that provide light on the safety culture of the present and potential hazards of the future is crucial. Through the effective utilization of key performance indicators (KPIs), companies can obtain insight into safety-related concerns and anticipate future areas for enhancement.
We’ll talk about the essential metrics that industrial safety leaders need to be monitoring in this blog post. We will discuss the distinctions between lagging and leading indicators, give examples of KPIs that are frequently used, and describe the best ways to put a safety scorecard into action.
Leading vs. Lagging Indicators
Safety measurements can be divided into two main categories: lagging and leading indicators. Proactive, preventive procedures known as leading indicators offer insight into prospective hazards prior to the occurrence of an incident. In contrast, trailing indicators are retrospective in nature, examining past occurrences and incidents that were documented.
Measures like reporting near-misses, completing safety training, and conducting safety audits and inspections are examples of leading indications. Businesses can identify higher-risk regions and take corrective action to control risks and reduce future events by tracking these types of metrics. A strong safety culture can be seen in the increased involvement in voluntary safety activities such as reporting near misses.
Conversely, measurements like injuries, lost time occurrences, restricted work situations, and Workers’ Compensation claims are examples of lagging indicators. Examining historical incident reports and injury trends might yield useful information for enhancing safety initiatives. But depending just on lagging indicators implies that workers have already been affected by safety hazards.
Leading and lagging indicators must be used in tandem for a thorough safety evaluation. While lagging measurements offer responsibility, leading measures stimulate proactive safety action. A high-performing safety management system requires both.
Typical KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
Let’s now look at some of the most helpful KPIs for assessing the success of workplace safety:
Number of recordable illnesses and injuries per 100 full-time employees over a predetermined period of time is known as the Total Recordable Incident Rate, or TRIR. an OSHA-mandated common lagging indicator.
The number of lost time injuries per million hours worked is known as the Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate, or LTIFR. gives the injury severity rate.
The frequency of injuries leading to missed work, restrictions, or transfers is measured by the Days Away, Restricted, Transfer (DART) Rate. aids in locating issue areas.
Experience Modification Rate (EMR): Evaluates a company’s past claims history in comparison to other companies in the same industry. directly affects the cost of insurance.
The number of near misses reported per 100 full-time employees each month is known as the Near Miss Frequency Rate, or NMFR. a leading sign of the culture of safety.
Completion Rate for Safety Training: The percentage of mandatory safety training that is finished on time. proactive measure of program activity.
The quantity of proactive safety inspections carried out each month in the workplace. stimulates the detection of dangers.
Closeout of Identified Hazards and Completion of Corrective Actions are Measured and Recorded.
The company’s safety management procedures and objectives should be directly reflected in the KPIs that are monitored. Each firm must customize measurements to its own risks and strategic aims, even though the metrics listed above serve as a good beginning point.
Putting a Safety Scorecard in Place
Merely gathering data is insufficient; safety metrics also need to be frequently examined and combined into an intuitive scorecard. Safety executives should think about putting the following actions into practice to create a workplace safety scorecard that works:
Determine the safety measurements that correspond with the goals and ambitions. It is advised to use a mix of leading and lagging indicators to track things like injury rates, preventative actions, risk mitigation initiatives, etc.
Establish the timetable and data sources for gathering each measure that has been defined.
Utilize technological tools to make data collection easier, such as safety management software.
Determine the starting point for every statistic by referring to historical data and patterns. Baselines establish a standard for subsequent assessments.
To encourage ongoing safety improvement across all metrics, set metric targets. Stretch goals aid in advancing the safety culture.
Create automatic reporting to release metrics on a monthly or quarterly basis in the form of a scorecard.
Give managers throughout the company access to the scorecard.
At safety committee meetings, go over the outcomes. Create action plans, examine the variables affecting metrics, and analyze trends.
Acknowledge and honor accomplishments. Make advancements spearheaded by different departments known.
Reassess targets and KPI choices on a regular basis. Adapt goals and metrics in response to performance.
The utilization of a safety scorecard that is standardized based on predetermined indicators facilitates the regular assessment of safety results both annually and monthly. But a leadership commitment to acting on the gathered data must steer the process. Only when scorecards are fully employed to guide ongoing safety improvement can they be considered effective.
It is critical for businesses to prioritize workplace safety.
Businesses can gain the essential knowledge they need to lower workplace events and safety hazards by regularly assessing both leading and lagging safety performance indicators. Thanks to the abundance of tools available to them, safety leaders can now automate and streamline data gathering, enabling the development and application of strong safety measuring methods.
Any firm wishing to improve its safety management procedures can start with the KPIs this post highlights. But businesses shouldn’t stop at just gathering and keeping track of data. Businesses must be ready to examine patterns, identify issue areas, and achieve safety excellence on all fronts—not just those required by law—if they are to truly benefit from safety KPIs.
Businesses can better protect their employees and their financial lines by adopting proactive indicators and seizing the opportunities they uncover. Get in touch with the professionals at Northwest Safety & Risk for tailored advice on creating a successful workplace safety scorecard. With the help of your company, our knowledgeable team of safety experts can establish automated data tracking, choose important KPIs, evaluate the results, and promote ongoing safety improvement. Take a proactive approach to workplace safety by getting in touch with Northwest Safety & Risk right away rather than waiting for lagging indicators to reveal an issue.
Visit SHEQXEL to learn all about safety leading and lagging indicators.