Learn to identify and assess risks, set benchmarks, and track progress with safety performance indicators.
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:
Below are some of the reasons for measuring safety performance:
Organizations may use different measurement systems to predict safety performance and improve results. However, two primary types of metrics are used for evaluating this.
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.
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.
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Using the following five safety metrics, an organization can improve its Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) performance:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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 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.
SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor) provides various tools to help organizations measure their safety performance. It is a cloud-based multi-purpose inspection platform used to collect data and analyze safety performance in the workplace. With SafetyCulture, organizations can do the following:
Unsafe workplaces and unsafe work indicate poor management of employees. As a result, employees may be less motivated, mindful, and unhappy at work. Besides putting team members’ safety at risk, poor safety management can have a detrimental effect on operations and productivity as well.
Regarding workplace safety, there are two key terms to understand: Safety Performance Indicators (SPI) and Safety Performance Targets (SPT).
At its core, SPI measures the incident rates and injuries while analyzing the effectiveness of a company’s existing strategies and regulations. Conversely, SPTs serve as measurable goals toward achieving ultimate safety targets. Understanding the difference between them is vital in managing any successful organization’s risk management strategies.
Several methods for measuring safety culture are available, including surveys, focus groups, observations, and audits. These methods can help measure progress toward a more safety-conscious workplace by assessing employees’ perceptions of safety and identifying cultural strengths and weaknesses.
The frequency of safety performance measurement may depend on the nature and complexity of the organization’s operations, the level of risk involved, and regulatory requirements. Some organizations may measure safety performance daily or weekly, while others may conduct quarterly or annual assessments.
Rob Paredes is a content contributor for SafetyCulture. Before joining SafetyCulture, he worked as a financial advisor, a freelance copywriter, and a Network Engineer for more than a decade. Rob's diverse professional background allows him to provide well-rounded, engaging content that can help businesses transform the way they work.
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