Lost time accident metrics

The desire to predict the future often leads to collecting a large amount of information based on the hope that something useful will be obtained and noticed. The NASA Space Shuttle program was collecting six hundred metrics a month before the loss of Columbia. Companies often collect data on occupational safety, such as days without a lost time accident, and they assume that these data reflect on system safety [17], which of course it does not. Not only is this misuse of data potentially misleading, but collecting information that may not be indicative of real risk diverts limited resources and attention from more effective risk-reduction efforts. 

Indemnity Case Rate, which is a negative metric providing the rate of all workers compensation cases that involve lost time payments per 100 full time employees per year. It may be indicative of the company s basic prevention and reduction efforts in minimizing more serious lost time case incidence and severity. It relates closely to OSHA s DART or rate of injuries and illnesses resulting in days away from work, restricted work activity, and/or job transfer. According to Italian National Standards UNI 7249 (UNI 2007) further index rates are introduced, like incidence index of occurred accidents, defined as rate of occurred accidents per 1.000 workers, frequency index (rate of occurred accidents per 1.000.000 hours worked), severity index of accidents, which represents 1000 times total number of lost days per hours worked. 

An old business adage is, What gets measured gets attention. Traditionally, safety people used trailing indicators, metrics, or outcomes. Traditionally, the metrics included accident and incidents, lost time cases, injuries... 

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