Requirements for a SHE information system

We will here summarise the issues dealt with in Part II by addressing a focal question How to distinguish adequate SHE information system elements and total systems from those that are less than adequate To be able to answer this question, we need a set of criteria or requirements that the SHE information systems and their elements have to satisfy. 

We will start by focusing on one important aspect of SHE information systems. Which criteria will make us able to distinguish good from poor SHE performance indicators or measures for use in feedback control We will then shift the focus to the SHE information system in general. Here we define criteria for the evaluation of data collection, analysis and presentation of information and for an evaluation of the SHE information system as a whole. 

An important aspect of SHE information systems is how we document and store data on accident risks. First we distinguish between two different data types, qualitative and quantitative data. By qualitative data we mean free-text descriptions. In an accident investigation, for example, this is similar to establishing a chronicle of the sequence of events. 

We also have a need to code data. This is done to reduce its complexity and to allow for statistical analyses. We apply four different scales in coding or quantifying data  

---