Key Leading Indicator Matrix

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