Don’t look back for failures; look ahead for opportunities
Many companies measure lagging indicators (looking backward) and develop safety programs using that information. Lagging indicators are things that employers consider after an injury or incident already occurred. Indicators obtained by looking backward can include the following:
- Injury rates or other accidents such as property damage,
- Worker’s compensation costs,
- Results and corrective actions based on accident and near-miss investigations, and
- First aid injuries.
There’s nothing wrong with using lagging indicators; as a supervisor, you need to know what should be corrected after an accident or a near-miss. However, you’ll find that lagging indicators only offer a partial view of a department’s overall safety.
A more complete department safety effort can be developed by finding ways to prevent injuries, not just reacting to them. Developing and measuring leading indicators can accomplish this goal.
Leading indicators are activities that occur prior to an incident. They can help identify actions that could be taken to prevent future injuries. Leading indicators can include the following:
- The percent of department training conducted on-time,
- The number or percentage of employees submitting safety suggestions,
- The number or percentage of employees involved in the safety committee,
- The percentage of employees submitting behavior-based observations, and
- The time it takes to correct safety issues found during inspections.
As a supervisor, if you only track lagging indicators, you are focusing on failures of the past. While those errors need correction, you should also focus on the positive by looking to increase behaviors and actions that prevent accidents. This will help develop a safer work environment.