IN 1445 – Leading key performance indicators (KPIs)

This briefing provides information on some of the more common leading key performance indicators (KPIs) used by IMCA Members.

Leading indicators are measures that precede or indicate the likelihood of an unwanted health and safety event happening, and such indicators can be used in an inherently proactive way to drive and measure activities which should prevent and control such unwanted events. They focus on future health and safety performance and continuous improvement.

By comparison, lagging indicators have been the traditional means used to measure a company’s health and safety performance, in terms of actual incident statistics. They are inherently reactive. They tell us only how many people got hurt and how badly, but not how well we are doing at preventing incidents and accidents.

IMCA’s HSS Core Committee believes strongly that leading key performance indicators are the better tool for measuring culture and improving health and safety performance. Leading key performance indicators may be more challenging to implement and use.

The following is a list of the most frequently used leading key performance indicators in our industry as compiled by the HSS Core Committee. This information may be of interest to Members in choosing and using leading KPIs themselves.

• Number of hazard identifications.
• Number of safety observations/interventions.
• Number of near miss reports.
• Number of safety audits or inspections.
• Number of management visits.
• Quantity of safety training conducted.
• Number of short worksite safety-focussed meetings (e.g. toolbox talks, safety meetings) held.
• Number of safety documents created, reviewed, revised or updated.
• Number of “safety conversations”.
• Measured timely completion of safety-related actions.

It will be noted that definitions of some of the above will vary from organisation to organisation. The intent is not to set definitions but to draw attention to common practice.