Our latest Safetip is about tracking the number of reported near misses as a leading indicator.
Leading and lagging indicators
Leading indicators track and monitor proactive activities that aim to improve safety and prevent incidents. They help organizations evaluate if they’re on the right track, or if there are potential problems ahead.
By contrast, lagging indicators measure what has already happened. They give you an idea of past performance, but they are still useful to identify hazards and weaknesses in your safety and health program.
A popular leading indicator
There is no standard set of leading indicators. But there are surveys and research reports that give an idea of which leading indicators you should seriously consider. The number of near misses reported is a great example.
First, a reminder of the definition of a near miss. ISO 45001 says: An incident where no injury and ill health occurs, but has the potential to do so, may be referred to as a “near-miss”, “near-hit” or “close call”. A near miss is an incident that did not result in an injury, property damage, or any type of harm.
Near misses help to identify potential hazards, areas of weakness, and opportunities for improvement, which is why there’s a benefit in capturing and analyzing them.
A near miss reporting program can be launched within a reasonable time. Some work is needed, such as adopting and communicating a common definition of a near miss, and training frontline workers on how to identify a near miss and report one, but the effort is manageable.
Also, near miss reporting is a popular leading indicator. According to an EHS Today survey, the number of near misses was the top leading indicator, tracked by 84% of respondents, followed by employee audits/observations at 81%, and participation in safety training at 80%.
In addition, an Implementation Guide to Leading Indicators from the Campbell Institute lists the number of near misses reported as a leading indicator that can be tracked, with a complexity level of “Low”, meaning organizations require “minimal time and effort to gather the data and calculate the metric”.
Expect an initial bump
If your organization decides to implement a near miss reporting program, expect to see an initial rise in the number of near misses reported. This doesn’t mean that your safety performance is bad. It means that workers are proactively uncovering issues that were already there.
As more near misses are reported and issues are addressed, you may then start to witness a drop in the number of near misses to a level that becomes more representative of your organization’s safety performance.
The key is to proactively report near misses in order to get early warning signs of potential hazards or other problems ahead.
Also, prioritize near misses because not all of them are equal. For example, some near misses have a potential for Serious Injury or Fatality (SIF), and therefore should get more attention and be investigated first.
Finally, you can encourage employee participation in near miss reporting by enabling them to capture near misses, observations, and events directly, quickly and easily through an EHS mobile app.
Our Safetips share safety tips or best practices that contribute to safety excellence. Visit our blog regularly for new Safetips!
