How can you use safety metrics to save money in your workplace?

Unfortunately (some) safety metrics can have a paradoxical and negative impact on learning and safety performance. While the old maxim says “What gets measured gets managed”, often in the safety field what gets measured gets manipulated, particularly where KPIs have bonuses attached (or perceived punishment if the KPIs are not met). There are several studies showing that trust is a more powerful predictor of performance than traditional safety metrics.

'Safety metrics' can easily become 'vanity metrics' (metrics that make you look good to others but do not help you understand your own performance in a way that informs future strategies). "100+ days LTA free" does not mean workplace safety activities are working, but it can "look good". Safety metrics should reflect 'work as done' that key stakeholders want to know about. E.g. ? Does your Executive team want to know how many accidents have happened? Or do they want to do know how many actions (that stop them from happening again) have been completed? ? What does Safety mean to your frontline? Can a metric be created around that? A 'Safety metric' might not even come from the safety team (e.g. % adherence to PM schedule)!

Ensuring workplace safety requires tracking and monitoring various key safety metrics to identify potential hazards, assess the effectiveness of safety measures, and prevent accidents or injuries. metrics not only protect employees but also contribute to the overall success of the organization. 13 key safety metrics are: 1. Incident rate 2. Lost Time Injury Rate (LTIR) 3. Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) 4. Near miss reporting rate 5. Severity rate 6. Safety training completion rate 7. Safety compliance audit results 8. Safety perception surveys 9. Emergency response time 10. First aid kit usage 11. Safety committee meeting attendance 12. Incident investigation closure rate 13. Safety leading indicators

Absolutely 100% agree on trust would love to hear some ideas on measuring trust! This would be an amazing metric and one that would enable us to grow a safety culture with resilience. Anyone?

The primary benefit of safety metrics revolves around trend analysis. For instance, if your number one category of injury are slips trips and falls, you can start tracking the locations of each incident and generate a heat map. Maybe you will find that you simply need to spread salt on icy walkways to a significant amount of risk. Another benefit of safety metrics comes in the form of benchmarking. You can compare your performance to similar organizations to see how you match up. You can even reach out to share best practices and work together with other organizations if necessary. A point of caution: do not set KPIs on your safety metrics. It is a pitfall. You will not be able to trust the data if you do that.

Safety metrics are only important if they are measured and proven to be effective. If they are not how can they afford positive OHS change. Effective performance evaluation is one way to help an organisation demonstrate continual improvement, & therefore the metrics used may need to be adjusted when the organisation’s performance changes. Effectiveness is the result of selecting the appropriate performance evaluation processes and observing positive OH&S outcomes. Performance evaluation processes can be used inappropriately (e.g. in a way that is perceived to blame individuals for system deficiencies), they can also produce unintended consequences. ISO 45004 addresses the most common consequences.

Creo, que como todo en Prevención o en otros campos científicos, puede llegar a ser de gran utilidad si se enfocan a un fin, quiero decir: si destaca un tipo de riesgo/ accidente/ lesión pues vamos a extraer de estos datos un procedimiento interno que lo evite o minimice hasta dónde sea posible.

the key is not just to collect data but to analyze it and take proactive steps to improve safety. This proactive approach can have a positive impact on both the well-being of employees and the financial health of the organization.

Overall, safety metrics are essential tools for assessing and improving workplace safety. They provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of safety programs, help identify areas for improvement, and enable us to take proactive measures to prevent incidents and protect the wellbeing of our employees.

Safety metrics are very important but often times are not enough. With the work force being as broad as it is, often times, superseding is a very necessary means of response to the “green worker”. If all Metrics are followed, standards are covered, and a company has a good safety orientation/training program. Meeting these metrics can be achievable. Once achieved company’s can flourish in many various ways such as, a safe working environment, good company wide moral, low WCB rates, and overall it allows time to focus on the execution of a project rather then how to change the safe work practices that are being adhered to.

Every organisation is unique, and intended results vary, there is not a standardized set of performance evaluation processes or set of indicators that fulfil the needs of all organisations. Hence, organisation's need to identify performance evaluation processes and indicators to suit its needs. Otherwise known as safety metrics. Examples of these include but not limited to inc. Site inspections, audits, worker surveys, health and safety meetings, focus groups, health surveillance, to name a few. The business needs to suit a set of metrics that best suits or compliments the work that they do, more over most accurately reflects the best way to measure what work is carried out.

Carefully choosing the critical safety controls (Risk-based controls), and turning those to a SMART objectives, is an important way to choose Safety objectives. Once those critical controls are matured and well integrated to organisation, move to another control and set a new objective to embed into the team's objectives. Keeping it fresh is critical. Every team member should know how well they are doing with those objectives.

Focus on qualitative metrics in addition to quantitative metrics. While quantitative metrics provide valuable data, qualitative metrics can provide deeper insights into the effectiveness of safety programs. Consider incorporating metrics that capture employee perceptions of safety, such as surveys or feedback mechanisms. This can help identify areas for improvement and gauge the overall safety culture within the organization. By combining quantitative and qualitative metrics, you can develop a more comprehensive understanding of safety performance and drive continuous improvement.

Safety Metrics can easily be a double-edged sword. When choosing a metric, it's important to think about what behavior it could drive. Is there a way to improve the number without improving actual safety for our folks? Is there a way to measure so that if people do try to "game the system", we still get desired behavior? What metrics measure our actions? In addition to having a mix of leading and lagging indicators, think about what monitoring indicators you may have. Where are we seeing safety in real-time, and how can we use that information? Finally, think about the validity of changes in your metrics. We know that injury and incident counts aren't a statistically valid metric (Hallowell, et al. 2021), so what else can we use?

El primer análisis tiene que ver con el tipo de actividad o actividades que representen un riesgo para las personas que intervienen en su realización en todos los niveles. La selección del equipo de protección personal, ademas de las herramientasy equipos, el nivel de capacitación y experiencia del personal directamente involucrado, y muchas otras variables. Una vez identificadas, las medidas estadísticas que realmente puedan, en primera instancia PREVENIR deben de ser adoptadas y aplicadas. Debemos de dejar claro que las medidas siempre deben procurar ser PREVENTIVAS en la medida de lo posible.

Ensure that the metrics chosen align with your organization's safety goals and objectives. It's important to select metrics that are meaningful, relevant, and actionable. Consider involving key stakeholders in the process to gain buy-in and ensure that the metrics chosen accurately reflect the organization's safety performance. Regularly review and analyze the metrics to track progress, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions to continuously improve safety performance.

Leading metrics should be used to drive the right behaviors in our LEADERSHIP. They should measure actions we take voluntarily that we think will lead to better results. How many hazards did we eliminate? How did we apply our resources? Leading indicators should be things we can directly change. Put strong targets on these! Monitoring metrics are delicate. If you use a target, you'll probably meet it, but you might not get honest information. There is a goldilocks zone on these; too high and you get worried, too low and you get worried. In the zone? Good news. Think hard about targets on lagging indicators too. So many of them are based on random chance, so targets can create a feeling of helplessness and lead to overreaction theater.

Safety metrics are a daily operation. From the ceo down these metrics must be followed and tracked for success. Not all safety metrics/safe work procedures are “good enough”. A company needs to forward be advancing there metrics or eventually they will fail.

Utilize safety metrics efficiently by setting definite objectives that are in line with organizational safety goals. Gather and evaluate data on a regular basis to spot patterns and potential areas for development. To proactively address possible risks and promote a preventive safety culture, make use of leading indicators. Disseminate findings to pertinent parties in order to foster cooperation and transparency. Execute remedial measures in accordance with metrics insights, regularly reviewing and modifying tactics as necessary. Incorporate safety metrics into routine reporting systems to guarantee continued oversight and responsibility.

Measure safety metrics by first defining clear and specific indicators aligned with safety goals. 1. Define clear safety metrics aligned with organizational goals 2. Establish reliable data collection methods 3. Include leading indicators for proactive risk assessment 4. Analyze data regularly to identify patterns and trends 5. Implement a feedback loop to assess safety initiatives 6. Communicate findings to relevant stakeholders 7. Foster a culture of accountability 8. Continuously refine measurement processes based on evolving risks 9. Ensure consistency and accuracy in incident reporting 10. Integrate both leading and lagging indicators for a comprehensive view of safety performance

Do safety metrics have to be quantitative? The more effective part of leadership walking about, talking about safety, is them demonstrating how important safety is. And almost all risk assessments are qualtitative. It’s OK to be more than a number :)

You can save money by better understanding of trends and focusing on top contributors to success. One of the traps organisation get into is trying to do everything at the same time. In this case resources are torn into many tiny pieces, that influence quality of work for each topic. Instead of making something large and important organisations are stuck with endless amount of lower impact actions. With that resources are wasted on lower risks with higher likelihood which are almost impossible to control, and miss their opportunity to put better controls to less likely high severity events.

- How comprehensive is the safety metrics - Ethics level of data analysts - How monitoring data are analyzed and perceived in decision makers - Resources allocation for the safety metrics - Psychological safe; Empowerment for all to speak up, to obtain true datas

Here goes: Fewer injuries mean lower compensation premiums as insurance costs decrease with a safer track record. A safe workplace boosts productivity, reducing downtime and the financial impact of accidents. Compliance with regulations avoids legal expenses and fines. Employee retention improves, cutting recruitment and training costs. A positive safety record enhances reputation, attracting clients. Identifying training needs through metrics prevents accidents. Proactive maintenance based on safety metrics prevents costly equipment breakdowns. Continuous improvement reduces risks and associated expenses. Having said all that, saving money shouldn't be anyone's priority in safety to begin with. It's a byproduct of safety.

Saving money for the company doesn’t always require safety metrics. Knowing your team and property also helps saves money. An example, I was walking through the carpenters workshop and noticed their saw table was in need of replacement so I put together costs of injuries related to saw tables compared to replacing the saw table itself. My proactive action built a better relationship between me and the engineering team who were appreciative. This action improved the relationship between safety and engineering which lead to the team seeking me out for other safety concerns and solutions. Proof of an improved and involved safety culture is another way to save money for a company because the team becomes more proactive with safety.