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Key Leading Indicator Matrix
Here's a matrix of key leading indicators, their definitions and associated metrics put together by the Campbell Institute in Chicago, which can be used as a guide for improving your company's safety performance. For more on this matrix, read the related article.
S=Systems-based, O=Operations-based, B=Behaviour-based
| LEADING INDICATOR/ DESCRIPTION | ASSOCIATED METRICS |
|---|---|
| Risk assessment (S,O)
Identification of the tasks, hazards and risks of a job prior to work, and the implementation of protective measures to ensure work is done safely |
Number of assessments conducted per plan |
| Percent of assessments completed per plan | |
| Ratio between the levels of risk identified (high, medium, low) | |
| Scoring the steps of an operation on severity, exposure and probability | |
| Number of assessments communicated | |
| Number of risks mitigated or controlled | |
| Number of assessments validated by EHS manager | |
| Percent of assessments re-evaluated and revalidated | |
| Percent of routine tasks identified | |
| Percent of tasks identified | |
| Percent of risk assessments completed per schedule/plan | |
| Number of assessments to evaluate potential severity | |
| Hazard identification/
Recognition (S)
Evaluations and assessments (not necessarily audits) through management and employee observations to identify potential hazards |
Number of near miss reports |
| Number of unsafe observations (conditions or behaviours) | |
| Number of safe observations (conditions or behaviours) | |
| Number of unsafe observations per inspection | |
| Number of unsafe observations reported per employee per time period | |
| Number and percent of previously unknown or uncategorized hazards discovered | |
| Inspection count (collection of observations) | |
| Ratio of safe to unsafe observations | |
| Weighted percent of safe observations (using risk matrix) | |
| Frequency of 100% safe | |
| Number of checklists filled out | |
| Number of comments for unsafe observations that clarified nature of the hazard | |
| Number of people trained in hazard identification | |
| Number of unsafe observations recorded by a trained person | |
| Risk profiling (S)
A review of the collected hazard identification data, prioritization of preventable and corrective actions, and identification of areas for continuous improvement |
Correlation rate between leading and lagging indicators |
| Number of reviews and comparisons (to check quality of the process) | |
| Number of repeat findings | |
| Number of gaps in hazard identification process | |
| Number of incidents with a root cause related to inadequate risk assessment | |
| Number of root causes not previously categorized or identified in risk assessment | |
| Number of assessments deemed unacceptable | |
| Percent of life-threatening risks, low severity risks, etc. | |
| Percent of reduction in overall risk score | |
| Number of risks by specific category (such as fall protection, confined space, housekeeping, etc.) | |
| Preventative and corrective actions (S,O)
Any measure to correct behaviour that could result in failure or defect, as well as any proactive measure to prescribe safe behaviour and prevent non-conformance |
Average days to close |
| Number of days to completion | |
| Percent closed on time (within X hours or by due date) | |
| Number of open issues that need to be closed | |
| Number of open issues that haven't yet had a corrective action assigned | |
| Percent of preventative and corrective actions communicated | |
| Number of effective corrective actions verified by managers | |
| Number of corrective actions for critical issues validated for effectiveness by managers | |
| Number and percent of issues in conformance with recommended corrective actions | |
| Percent or ratio of corrective actions at each level of control (according to hierarchy of controls) | |
| Percent or ratio of corrective actions according to hazard type (such as confined space, fall protection, etc.) | |
| Number of issues flagged at 30 days, 60 days, etc. | |
| Number of corrective actions prioritized by risk (such as high severity, low severity, life-threatening, etc.) | |
| Number of divisional targets that have dropped below a 90%-completed rate | |
| Management of change process (O)
Formal process to ensure appropriate planning around HR activities, union negotiations, seasonal changes in employment and changing management |
Percent of tasks completed |
| Number of facilities running 10% overtime | |
| Number of facilities experiencing X% turnover | |
| Number of gaps in management of change review | |
| Number of new assessments for changes in processes or equipment | |
| Number of new trainings for operations | |
| Learning system (S)
Any activity or program (such as training, communication, coaching and on-the-job training) to teach employees and management about EHS issues and procedures (skills, knowledge and values) and learn from prior incidents |
Number and percent of completed training goals (by individual, group or facility) |
| Percent of compliance versus goal | |
| Number of training hours (per hours worked per facility/BU/corporate or per time period) | |
| Number of training hours (per employee, per site, per time frame) | |
| Number of incidents with a root cause that includes lack of training | |
| Number of certified trainers | |
| Dollars spent per year on training | |
| Number of new employees who complete orientation | |
| Number and percent of positive post-training evaluations | |
| EHS management system component evaluation (S)
An audit of an organization's safety management system to assess conformance with system expectations and goals |
Maturity score (percent of system component compliance) |
| Number and frequency of audits performed | |
| Number of findings (instances of non-conformance) | |
| Number of corrective actions | |
| Number of management system root causes identified by incident investigations | |
| Recognition, disciplinary and reinforcement program (S)
The recognition of safe behaviour or the correction of unsafe behaviour to reinforce the objectives of the EHS management system |
Percent of personal EHS system goals met |
| Number of disciplinary actions | |
| Number of incident root causes tied to disciplinary action | |
| Number of recognitions for safe behaviour | |
| Leading indicator component evaluation (S)
Correlation and trend analysis of key performance indicators to evaluate the outcomes of leading indicator implementation |
Year-over-year analysis of correlation rates |
| Annual analysis of correlation rate | |
| Number of comparisons of predictive measures to performance outcomes | |
| Number and percent of predictive measures meeting predictive goals | |
| Number and percent of predictive measures meeting performance outcomes | |
| Communication of safety (S)
Sharing of information to stakeholders, employees and management regarding safety metrics/indicators and EHS policy |
Number of users of EHS dashboard |
| Number and frequency of employee meetings | |
| Number of tailgates/pre-shift safety talks completed | |
| Number of bulletin boards with current/relevant information | |
| Percent conformance with communication expectations/needs | |
| Frequency of communication to stakeholders, employees and management | |
| Number of website hits | |
| Percent completed and communicated | |
| Number of page views of safety blog | |
| Safety perception survey (S)
Polling employees on impressions and perceptions of management and/or organizational safety performance |
Number and frequency of perception surveys |
| Percentage of employees polled | |
| Response rate | |
| Percent of positive/negative poll results | |
| Employee-management gap analysis | |
| Training (O)
Any event that attempts to enrich or increase knowledge, skills and ability to prevent incidents and/or control hazards |
Ratio of training hours to work hours per month |
| Number of safety talks and safety training sessions | |
| Number of assessments to determine the type of training needed | |
| Compliance (O)
Adherence to standard operating procedure |
Number of regulatory inspections without findings (not necessarily fines) |
| Percent of defect-free agency inspections | |
| Prevention through design (O)
Implementation of design elements to eliminate defects and ensure only one safe way of performing a task |
Number or percent of designs that pass validation or quality test |
| Leadership engagement (B)
Leaders' behaviours and actions that demonstrate their extra effort and commitment to ensuring safety |
Number of employee suggestions implemented by leadership |
| Number of employees volunteering for initiatives | |
| Number of managers/supervisors participating in critical design reviews | |
| Percent of positive ratings of managers and supervisors by employees | |
| Employee engagement and participation (B)
Employee behaviours and actions that demonstrate their extra effort and commitment to ensuring safety |
Participation rate |
| Number of on-the-job observations from employees | |
| Number of off-the-job observations from employees | |
| Number of employees personally engaged by supervisors in walk-arounds | |
| Percent of coached observations | |
| Percent of employees documenting observations | |
| Number and quality of comments | |
| Percent of job turnover | |
| Number of grievances submitted | |
| Number of employees leading safety meetings | |
| At-risk behaviours and safe behaviours (B)
At-risk behaviours or safety violations that are observed by individuals, supervisors and management |
Number of observations |
| Ratio of positive to negative observations | |
| Number of observers | |
| Percentage of supervisors meeting observation goals | |
| Ratio of peer-to-peer observations to supervisory observations | |
| Hazard severity of observations | |
| Ratio of high-risk observations to low-risk observations | |
| Percent of coached observations | |
| Area observations/walk-arounds (B)
A workplace tour to observe the safety performance of people (such as activities, behaviours, work tasks) |
Number of walk-arounds |
| Number of supervisors meeting goals | |
| Percent meeting safety performance standard | |
| Percent deviating from safety performance standard | |
| Off-the-job safety (B)
Efforts aimed at managing, tracking and reducing incidents and injuries that occur outside the workplace |
Number of off-the-job observations from employees |
| Permit-to-work systems (S)
Formal written procedures to control types of work that are potentially hazardous |
Number of safety inspections and audits |
| Number of gaps in completion | |
| Number or percent of supervisors and managers who have completed training in permit-to-work systems | |
| Equipment and preventative maintenance (O)
Identification of critical pieces of equipment for more frequent maintenance when it's nearing the end of its 'life' |
Percent of maintenance time spent on planned versus unplanned maintenance |
| Number of defects found in equipment |
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