Safety performance leading indicators

A measurement statistic that may be utilized to evaluate the safety performance of an organization by management. Lagging indicators are commonly incident statistics, such as injuries, fatalities, motor vehicle accidents (MVAs), fires, etc., and are considered lagging due to the fact that they materialize after the incidents occur. See also Key Performance Indicator (KPI), Safety Leading Indicator Safety Dashboard. 

The Secret to Measuring Process Safety Performance Combine Process Incident Data with Leading Indicators, Steve Arendt... 

F. Henselwood, Use of Pareto Shape Parameter as a Leading Indicator of Process Safety Performance, Process Safety Progress, February 26. 2009 (reprinted with permission of John Wiley Sons, Inc.)... 

K. Harrington, H. Thomas, S. Kadri, Using Measured Performance as a Process Safety Leading Indicator (Presented at the Global Congress on Process Safety, April 2008)... 

Leading metrics are forward-looking and indicate the performance of the key work processes, operating discipline, or layers of protection that prevent incidents. They are designed to give an early indication of problems or deterioration in key safety systems early enough that corrective actions may be taken to avoid a major process safety incident. 

One documented method uses process safety barriers identification for metrics selection. This concept uses a combination of lagging and leading indicators associated with process safety barriers and incident escalation controls to evaluate the process safety system performance. The basis for this method is documented in the U.K. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publication HSG254 and illustrated by Figures 4.1-4.3. The strength of this technique arises from using the combination of indicators that provides multiple perspectives for judging the surety of a barrier or escalation control. For example, this basic concept was adopted and modified by BP to focus upon three information sources to assess key control barriers as summarized below ... 

Process safety—and the metrics to identify and track it—can be incorporated into a company s overall sustainability program. Adoption of improved process safety leading and lagging indicators that document improving process safety performance will be important in maintaining the organization s license to operate broadly as well as in a specific location. 

To close the loop in the safety and health management system, periodic assessment and feedback are necessary. Indicators should be chosen that can assess the overall performance of the laboratory with respect to safety and health. Whenever possible, leading indicators such as behavioral observations should be measured and reviewed, as well as trailing indicators such as the type and number of injuries and illnesses and loss of working time. The purpose of this assessment is to determine the overall effectiveness of the safety and health management system and to correct any areas of deficiency. 

Hinze, J., Thurman, S. and Wehle, A. (2013) Leading indicators of construction safety performance. Safety Science, 51(1), 23-8. 

Perform safety audits, performance assessments, and inspections using the hazard analysis results as the preconditions for operations and maintenance. Collect data to ensure safety policies and procedures are being followed and that education and training about safety is effective. Establish feedback channels for leading indicators of increasing risk. 

RP 754 suggests that process safety performance can be measured through the use of four tiers of indicators. These tiers represent a transition from leading to lagging indicators. Tier 1 is the most lagging. Tier 4 is the most leading. They are shown in Figure 3.4. 

Clearly, process safety performance is important to both risk avoidance and financial performance. Make process safety a key part of due diligence. The due-diligence team needs a process safety representative to be sure the right information is requested and once the information is received that it is properly evaluated. Oftentimes the evaluation centers around performance and liabilities incidents, inspections, lawsuits, fines, etc. These are important lagging indicators. The leading organizational indicators are also important. Some of these are ... 

This chapter responds to a renewed interest in having measurement systems that are universally applicable, effectively assess occupational safety performance, and communicate well in terms that managements understand. Several safety measurement systems are discussed. A relatively new emphasis in safety performance measurement—leading indicators—is discussed. 

At the Professional Development Conference held by the American Society of Safety Engineers in June 2002, there were at least three sessions pertaining to leading indicators. Speakers and writers say that this new form of measurement is offered as a response to the dissatisfaction some safety practitioners have expressed concerning the use of what they say are trailing indicators — OSHA statistics, costs — as the sole measure of safety performance. 

Improving Safety Health Performance Identifying Measuring Leading Indicators by Jack Toellner, September 2001. 

There is a recent tendency to measure the safety achievements by indicators (so-called key performance indicators) (cf. [13, 14]). These refer on the one hand to past performance ( lagging indicators ) and on the other to future performance ( leading indicators ). 

It should also be noted that backlog of maintenance work for safety critical equipment has often been used as a leading indicator for major hazards. This is an indirect and implicit indicator. The barrier indicators are exphcitly focused on the hkely performance of barriers, and therefore to be preferred. 

See Key Performance Indicator (KPI), Safety Lagging Indicator Leading Indicator. 

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