Find out how to use leading indicators to improve safety performance and prevent accidents and injuries.
Metrics like OSHA recordable injuries and workers’ comp expenses—known as trailing or lagging indicators—tell you what happened and how much it cost. But they don’t indicate how well you’re doing at preventing accidents.
A new white paper tells safety professionals how they can use leading indicators, such as safety audits and safety perception surveys, to improve performance at their worksite.
The document was produced by the National Safety Council’s (NSC) new Campbell Institute for excellence in environmental, health, and safety management. It defines leading indicators as “proactive, preventative, and predictive measures that monitor and provide current information about the effective performance, activities, and processes of an EHS management system.”
These in turn drive the control or elimination of risks that cause injuries.
Examples of leading indicators are new control measures, safety training, incident investigations, behavioral observations, and job safety analyses.
One of the items on OSHA’s regulatory agenda for 2013 and beyond is the development of a federal Injury and Illness Prevention Program (I2P2) standard. BLR’s upcoming live webinar will help you prepare and get a leg up on complying with the likely I2Ps framework. Learn More
According to the Campbell Institute, many safety and health professionals continue to rely on injury rates, absenteeism, and other trailing indicators “despite a growing acceptance of the fact that these failure-based measures are ineffective in driving improvement efforts.”
Those that do use leading indicators as a tool find they can help prevent or eliminate risks, monitor performance, motivate safety behavior, and communicate results to management and workers. Some businesses even consider leading indicators in performance assessment and compensation for EHS mangers.
Do This
The white paper identifies factors that contribute to successful use of leading indicators, including:
- Executive buy-in regarding the value of leading indicators,
- Communication about the predictive value of leading indicators by safety and corporate leaders,
- Technology to track leading indicators,
- A proactive safety mindset, and
- Linking leading indicators to incentives.
To access the white paper, click here.
Join us for an in-depth webinar on November 20. Our presenter, a seasoned safety expert who has been following I2P2 at the state and federal level for many years, will help participants understand the I2P2 process and use it to improve their existing safety program. Click here for details.
I2P2 and You
One of the items on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) regulatory agenda for 2013 and beyond is the development of a federal Injury and Illness Prevention Program (I2P2) standard.
In recent comments on I2P2, OSHA Chief Dr. David Michaels said that given the fact that the agency doesn’t have enough inspectors to visit every workplace to ensure that health and safety rules and best practices are being followed all the time, a better plan to compliment inspections is to require employers to create and implement a plan for identifying and remediating hazards.
Most safety professionals believe that it is just a matter of time before OSHA rolls out I2P2 requirements, similar to those that are in place in other states such as California. Although it may take some time for OSHA to finalize its vision, due to its slow and cautious approach, understanding the I2P2 process and using the elements to improve your existing safety program is something that you can do now.
Don’t wait for an OSHA inspection or a workplace tragedy to address workplace hazards. Prepare now, and in doing so, get a leg up on complying with the likely I2Ps framework.
Join us for an in-depth webinar on November 20. Our presenter, a seasoned safety expert who has been following I2P2 at the state and federal level for many years, will help participants understand the I2P2 process and use it to improve their existing safety program.
You and your colleagues will learn:
- Recent OSHA I2P2 activity including proposals, white papers, and possible timelines
- A detailed understanding of the six core principals of OSHA’s I2P2 process: management leadership, worker participation, hazard Identification and assessment, hazard prevention and control, education and training, and program evaluation and improvement
- How prior Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS) are related to I2P2, as well as systems you may already have in place, such as Voluntary Protection Program, Safety and health Achievement
- Recognition Program, ANSI/AIHA Z10, California I2P2 and others
- How to evaluate your existing safety program to identify opportunities for improvement using the I2P2 process
- Possible approaches where you can use certain principals initially and thus make the I2P2 process more manageable
- Ways for communicating the I2P2 process to senior management and others in your organization
- Tips on how to establish an I2P2 team, including how to structure the team and who should be on it
- Opportunities for using electronic and software tools as part of your I2P2 process
- Ways identify and evaluate resources that might be helpful in your I2P2 process consideration and development
About Your Presenter
Brad Harbaugh is editor of the Environmental Health and Safety blog for MSDSonline—a leading provider of on-demand compliance solutions for managing chemicals, material safety data sheets (MSDSs), OSHA Recordkeeping, and other critical EH&S tasks. In addition to researching and reporting on current EH&S issues, Mr. Harbaugh is the creator of MSDSonline’s popular GHS Answer Center and GHS Webinar series. A sought after speaker, he has presented at over 100 national and Regional conferences on topics ranging from education to safety, including at events for NSC, ASSE, VPPPA and others. He is a graduate of DePaul University and is currently attending the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.
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