Accident Data Analysis Many times, safety professionals conduct data analyses involving accident data as a means to identify prevention activities Common examples of performance indicators include OSHA rates and workers’ compensation data While these measures can be useful, they can also create some problems. Small data sample biases Severity measure biases

Safety Performance Indicators Performance indicators are activities that employees and management can use to continually guide their improvement. Performance indicators address problem areas, provide some measure of accountability for employees, and corroborate the fact that the organization’s goals are (or are not) being met.

Categories of Performance Indicators Three broad classes of these measures are trailing indicators, current indicators and leading indicators. A good combination of trailing, current and leading indicators, based on the company's own needs, are always best. Performance indicators can be further classified as activity based or outcomes based

Trailing Indicators Trailing indicators are the traditional metrics that measure past safety efforts. When using trailing indicators, data is collected after the fact (after a number of accidents or illnesses, after two years of workers' compensation, etc.) Trailing indicators provide an organization with feedback in terms of how well the performance has been over a period of time Examples of trailing indicators include accident records, loss reports, injury and illness statistics, injury costs, and workers' compensation costs

Pros and Cons of trailing Indicators Some of the pros for using trailing indicators include the availability of the data and the ease with which the data can be compiled and presented To be effective, a cause and effect relationship must be identified between the trailing indicators and the program procedures The safety program procedures must be related to that which is being measured by the trailing indicators

Current Indicators Current indicators tell an organization how well the management systems are working now, as opposed to in the past. In addition, they provide a measure of potential losses over the short term. Current indicators can provide the safety manager with immediate feedback on areas that require improvement.

Leading Indicators Leading indicators are those measures that can be effective in predicting future safety performance. Leading indicators can be considered “before-the-fact" measures. These measures assess outcome actions taken before accidents occur and are measures of proactive efforts designed to minimize losses and prevent accidents.

Leading Indicators Assess the quality of incident investigations and arrange for improvement so that investigations address true causal factors and so that the reports can be a source for selecting leading indicators for serious injury prevention.

Benefits of Safety Performance Indicators Safety performance indicators have certain distinct advantages. These indicators are flexible and allow for individual supervisory styles. The same indicator need not be used for all supervisors. They are excellent for use in objective-setting approaches. Feedback is swift, since most of these techniques require supervisors to report their level of performance to upper management. They measure the presence, rather than the absence, of safety. They are usually simple and, thus, administratively feasible.

Shortcomings of Safety Performance Indicators While the benefits of establishing and using measurements are numerous, there are also some shortcomings that can be experienced if the measurements are not properly defined and used. Examples of these shortcomings can include:  A cause and effect relationship between the measurement and the activity does not exist. There are delays between the activity and the measurement. Reliability in the measurement process may be lacking. Outside factors may be influencing results, thus affecting the validity of the measurement.