Safety Performance: Measure Workplace Risks

What is Safety Performance?

Safety performance is the analysis of safety processes and procedures to determine how well those systems function. It involves checking the levels of risk, identifying potential hazards, evaluating safety policies and regulations, and carrying out accident investigations.

It aims to reduce accidents and incidents; improve the working environment for employees; increase efficiency and productivity; save time, energy, and resources by examining systems in place, diagnosing safety issues, and providing solutions.

Safety performance examines various factors, including:

• workforce experience and qualifications;

• machine maintenance schedules;

• safety equipment features;

• technical specification standards; and

• compliance reporting requirements.

Reasons for Measuring Safety Performance

Below are some of the reasons for measuring safety performance:

• Can be a navigational tool

• Can be an early warning sign

• Can alter behavior

• Used to implement strategies and policies

• Used for trend monitoring

• For improvement prioritization

• For improvement project evaluation

• Input into bonus and incentive systems

• Used as a marketing tool

• For benchmarking

• Increased motivation

How is it Measured?

Organizations may use different measurement systems to predict safety performance and improve results. However, two primary types of metrics are used for evaluating this.

Lagging Metric

As an example of a lag metric, one could consider a safety measure evaluating an event, an indicator, or an already occurring outcome. The objective is to prevent future accidents by assessing them afterward.

Leading Metrics

Lead metrics are a safety measure used to investigate the effectiveness of key work processes, operating disciplines, and other proactive measures in predicting incidents. This type of metric may involve participation in training and awareness initiatives.

If collected over time, data from lead metrics can help to identify any drops in the efficiency of safety systems before any accidents happen, allowing corrective measures to be taken.

5 Key Safety Metrics to Improve Performance

Using the following five safety metrics, an organization can improve its Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) performance:

1. Incidents and Near-Misses

This metric measures the frequency of incidents and near-misses that have happened in the past. The data obtained from analyzing this metric can help identify any patterns or trends that could be linked to processes, operations, or other safety factors.

2. Inspections

Incident metrics can provide valuable insights into safety performance. Injury and illness data, however, only provides a partial snapshot. Regularly inspecting the workplace and equipment, as well as assessing potential hazards, can prevent workplace incidents.

3. Observations

By utilizing behavior-centric safety data, you can monitor employee behavior daily and identify opportunities for improving workplace procedures. Furthermore, it can measure the use of safe practices among employees and offer a chance to recognize their positive efforts.

4. Training

Assessing the effectiveness of a training program requires monitoring attendance and pass rates. It lets you ensure employees participate in their required training and comprehend the material. These should be the initial metrics evaluated when assessing your training program.

5. Safety Suggestions and Hazards

Developing an employee safety culture require a two-way feedback system. It can allow employees to report unsafe conditions or hazardous situations at work.

Management can use this information to implement safety improvements and corrective actions. Additionally, it gives them insights into potential areas for improvement and encourages employee engagement in workplace safety initiatives.

Types of Safety Performance Measures

Results Measures

Results measures are critical in understanding the nature and causes of accidents. They can be broken down into units, such as the number of people injured or killed, the amount of property damage, and other associated costs.

By analyzing the financial costs of an accident in terms of dollars per unit, you can gain a clearer insight into the economic burden caused.

Furthermore, results measurements must be accurate to abide by all legal and insurance regulations.

Activity Measures

Activity measures are vital for measuring the success of preventive measures to reduce workplace accidents. By tracking behaviors and performance linked to accident prevention, organizations can better understand how their strategies and initiatives are working to reduce risk and improve safety.

Activity measures can assess outcomes at both the supervisor/workgroup level and the organizational level, allowing companies to identify areas of improvement or where additional resources may be necessary.