Evaluation of Hazard Control Function Effectiveness

OSHA uses injury and illness rates to assess effectiveness of occupational safety and health programs. Insurance companies use an experience model to determine good and poor risks for underwriting workers compensation coverage. Accident and injury experience does provide a good indicator about the effectiveness of hazard control initiatives. However, accident frequency and severity rates alone do not always accurately evaluate effectiveness of an accident prevention function. For example, an organization may experience an underreporting of occupational disease cases and hazardous material exposures (Table 1.20). 

Placing too much emphasis on injury-producing events but not focusing on potentially serious close call incidents can result in unreliable effective assessments. Rather than relying solely on injury rates or other postevent assessments, organizations could use a broader hazard control audit process. This management style audit would address several key components of the accident prevention process. The audit forms would help evaluators rate each component against prepublished 

Evaluating the effectiveness of hazard control management programs. 

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