Leading Indicators for Workplace Health and Safety: a user guide
Contents
1. 30 LEADING INDICATORS FOR WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY LEADING INDICATORS FOR WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY boten A Government ALBERTA2. Resources Occupational Health and Safety Legislation A copy of the Occupational Health and Safety Act Regulations and Code and OHS Code Explanation Guide together with this user guide can provide an excellent foundation for building a strong health and safety culture in your workplace This user guide is current to March 2015 The current OHS legislation is available on the website at work alberta ca ohs legislation Official printed versions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act Regulations and Code Handbook and OHS Code Explanation Guide may be purchased from Alberta Queen s Printer qp alberta ca 7th floor Park Plaza Building 10611 98 Avenue NW Edmonton AB TSK 2P7 Phone 780 427 4952 Fax 780 452 0668 Email qp gov ab ca LEADING INDICATORS FOR WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY Additional resources Government of Alberta OHS Legislation work alberta ca ohs legislation Government of Alberta OHS eLearning Programs work alberta ca ohs elearning Government of Alberta Hazard Assessment and Control a handbook for Alberta employers and workers BP018 work alberta ca documents ohs best practices BP018 pdf Government of Alberta Supervisors Roles and Responsibilities an occupational health and safety handbook BP020 work alberta ca documents ohs best practices BP020 pdf Institute for Work amp Health Organizational Performance Metric IWH OPM iwh on ca opm A
3. boten wd Government ALBERTA Contents Oo C O0 16 20 22 24 26 27 Introduction Background Purpose of leading indicators strengths of leading indicators Challenges Choosing a leading indicator 12 Consider your goals 12 Determine your strategy 13 Factor in your experience 15 Consider your audience 15 Understand the limitations How to implement 16 Training and maintenance 17 Criteria for success 19 Keeping it fresh How to use benefit from the information 20 Trending 21 Benchmarking 21 Feedback communication In summary Resources Contact us Appendix Note to the reader The information provided in this user guide is solely for the user s information and convenience and while thought to be accurate and functional it is provided without warranty of any kind If in doubt please refer to the current edition of the Occupational Health and Safety Act Regulations and Code The Crown its agents employees or contractors will not be liable to you for any damages direct or indirect arising out of your use of the information contained in this user guide This user guide is current to March 2015 The law is constantly changing with new legislation amendments to existing legislation and decisions from the courts It is important that you keep up with these changes and keep yourself informed of the current law This user guide is for general information
4. zero harm the more targeted their leading indicator performance tools can be Once you ve established the organization s compliance in conducting hazard assessments for example you can move on and start focusing on areas of advanced investigation You might start monitoring the percentage of controls that have been introduced or maybe the number of workers that have been involved in the process Leading indicators provide endless opportunity to keep your OHS management program fresh and moving forward The challenge is in holding off on introducing too many leading indicators too soon or prematurely dismissing a leading indicator that s been on the radar for some time but continues to provide valuable insight into your organization s health and safety performance A USER GUIDE s we ve seen an organization s OHS performance maturity level will strongly influence what leading indicators they choose to use and how they ll apply the information generated The tools and the messaging around using them are different at different levels of performance There is no one size fits all answer to how best to leverage the results Trending The use of leading indicators for evaluating health and safety performance is a relatively new approach It s an approach that does not align well with traditional lagging OHS reporting practices or standard benchmarks The broad range of leading indicator tools and the highly customi
5. in the collection of data and how the collection process itself is approached The standard cycle of developing choosing implementing measuring acting on and reporting leading indicators aligns with that of any typical management process plan do check act Your organization s OHS performance level will influence the nature and goal of your selection and use of leading indicators Introduce leading indicators in a way that will promote ownership at all levels of the organization management supervisors and workers Share information about the specific indicators and the rationale for using them with the people whose performance is being monitored and measured Start by thinking about what specific activities drive your organization s desired OHS outcomes Different work groups may warrant different indicators Consider the nature of the work the experience of the workers and the prevalent health and safety culture as part of your selection process Think strategically about what processes will lead to what results Look for leading indicators that serve to identify trends instead of providing instantaneous one off measures If management does not actively promote the use of leading indicators it will not happen Limit the number of leading indicators to no more than two or three to start Keep feedback focused on OHS process improvements A USER GUIDE 23
6. USER GUIDE Contact US Province wide OHS Contact Centre For general information or to order publications Edmonton and surrounding area 780 415 8690 Throughout Alberta 1 866 415 8690 For the deaf or hard of hearing TDD TTY In Edmonton 780 427 9999 Throughout Alberta 1 800 232 7215 Website work alberta ca OHS Feedback survey work alberta ca ohsresourcesurvey LEADING INDICATORS FOR WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY Appendix Discussion questions to help develop leading indicators that are relevant and specific to your occupational health and safety system Below are headings that relate to common and useful categories of leading indicators These may help to focus your organization s attention when looking at ways to implement leading indicators into your occupational health and safety management system The questions are intended to stimulate discussion within organizations looking to implement leading indicators into their OHS management systems The examples provided are just that examples The list of questions is not intended to be exhaustive It s a starting point PLEASE NOTE The following questions are to determine options for performance beyond minimum legislated requirements In case of uncertainty or discrepancy please refer to Alberta s occupational health and safety legislation and or the OHS Code Explanation Guide for clarification 1 Hazard identification and assessment How are a
7. WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY Consider your audience Involve others in the process of developing leading indicators The selection should be informed by people working in different jobs and at all levels within the organization Talk to the people whose performance might somehow be measured by the leading indicator selected and to the people who could be called upon to take direct or finance corrective actions Goal of improving vehicle safety Driver may focus on distance travelled Finance may focus on age of vehicles maintenance Supervisor might focus on work schedule speed Just as there is no one size fits all set of leading indicators for use across various organizations there s usually enough of a difference between work groups to warrant a more tailored approach to selection In other words different work groups may warrant different indicators due to their work due to their experience or due to their health and safety culture Alternatively you may have the same indicators but different work groups would carry them out on different schedules i e one may have one safety meeting per year while another may have one per month Remember the more embedded a leading indicator is in the organizations OHS management program the more likely it is to receive buy in and support at the corporate level Choose carefully to avold Introducing irrelevant or obsolete measures These can erode the corporate
8. health and safety culture by effectively disengaging the workforce If your meter reading operations are moving away from door to door service in favour of remote access for example there s little value in asking what per cent of workers have been trained to deal with aggressive dogs Operational changes may prompt a shift in what it is you measure Understand the limitations If leading indicators are a new addition to your OHS toolbox focus on a few key measures related to your OHS goal that reflect the performance of a variety of work parties or work areas If you introduce too many leading indicator tools you will detract from the focus or value As mentioned earlier two to three leading indicators is a good place to start Remain mindful of the logistics involved in collecting the information If it costs too much to collect and or implement or if it s too time consuming it s less likely to happen But don t select leading indicators just because the information is easy to collect They must be meaningful relevant or there s no point Measure what should be measured to improve performance rather than what can easily be measured A USER GUIDE So you ve considered your organization s current OHS performance level and have landed on a few key leading indicators to add to your occupational health and safety toolkit Now you ll want to put them to work Leading indicators are an evolving science As you introduce
9. if your focus is on reducing fall related events at work you may want to track the housekeeping practices in place to prevent slips trips and falls e g wet mopping only after work hours when most staff are not around It wouldn t do you any good to track the number of workers with first aid training here First aid training cannot prevent the number of slips trips or falls at your workplace Think strategically about what processes will lead to what results You ll also want to be sure your selected leading indicators align with the organization s existing OHS management program That link is the only way to ensure accountability for follow up activities Leading indicators are meant to support and grow OHS programs not to redirect attention or resources away from them Factor IN your experience If your interest is in measuring compliance you ll want to select leading indicators that provide insight into how well your organization is doing compared to what current legislation requires If you re already meeting compliance levels and are ready to grow and gauge your OHS management program or beyond that to pursue continuous learning opportunities you ll want leading indicator tools to generate deeper more sophisticated operational insights The higher your OHS performance level the greater the range of leading indicators available to you Applying SMART principles can be an effective approach to judging the merit and g
10. lagging indicators are a measure of diminishing returns As an organization works toward the ultimate goals of zero loss zero harm the number of lagging indicator measures will drop e g lost time claims disabling injury rates This means the closer the organization gets to this health and safety goal the fewer lagging indicator measures e g numbers rates statistics it has available to propel ongoing improvement Lagging indicators are an indisputable record of past performance and that is of considerable value But as organizations work to improve their OHS management practices and performance they may want to consider supplementing the information lagging indicators provide with data from the other end of the spectrum They may want to introduce leading indicators to help chart the road ahead A USER GUIDE Definition Leading Indicators focus on future health and safety performance with the intent of continuous improvement They are a signal and monitor of what is being done on an ongoing basis to prevent worker illness and injury Leading indicators represent a different but complementary way of addressing occupational health and safety from the front end a signal with an eye to preventing harm before it happens The organization s specific health and safety activities and overall goals are the focus here When used effectively leading indicators target select areas of an organization s OHS man
11. leadership for health and safety How does management leadership ensure health and safety is mentioned in messaging to workers How does management leadership determine budget allocation for health and safety Does this adequately meet needs 10 11 Staff management engagement in developing safety practices Does the health and safety culture promote peer reviews and correction Does management recognize reward workers who consistently follow defined health and safety practices How does the organization promote use of worker teams to solve health and safety issues How does management leadership demonstrate concern for workers health and safety How is this documented Are different media used to communicate health and safety information across the organization What is the process for workers to provide feedback on health and safety related items Near misses Is there a process written procedure for reporting near misses What is done with the information Who is involved in the near miss investigation How are workers made aware of the results How are recommendations from investigations turned into prevention activities Survey tools How does management leadership assess the health and safety culture within the organization What is done with the results of health and safety culture Surveys How does management leadership ensure high worker engagement participation in surveys A USER GUIDE
12. that can help an organization improve its health and safety performance are worthy of consideration particularly when they can be customized to suit the unique situations found in any workplace for any type of organization Leading indicators represent a means for organizations to improve the performance of their existing OHS management systems on an ongoing basis Rather than relying on lagging indicators such as annual tallies of workplace incidents lost time claims or WCB premium rates organizations can use leading indicators to take proactive preventative actions when needed as needed This user guide has provided information on what leading indicators are and how your organization might select use and benefit from them We would like you to spend time thinking and talking about leading indicators at places where you work to consider using leading indicators as one more tool to help you achieve and evolve your organization s health and safety goals and performance e LEADING INDICATORS FOR WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY Here are some points to think about as you consider adding leading indicators to your health and safety management system These points apply regardless of your level of OHS performance Choose leading indicators that reflect a mix of activity related and quality measures The quality of the information collected and what you do with what you learn is what matters in the end Consider who is involved
13. ultimately benefit from leading indicators The problem isn t localized A general lack of standard practices associated with the use of leading indicators complicates things for everyone As yet there is limited scientific evidence available to determine which leading indicators should be used when That means organizations are often on their own to define the learning curve before even attempting to conquer it While leading indicators are proving useful for evaluating the status of specific goals within an OHS management program it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact relationship between leading indicators and lagging outcomes e g total injuries illnesses fatalities If you Know what you want to measure and are clear about how it Impacts your outcome then the relationship is much clearer It is possible to tap into the potential from leading indicators with only minimal changes to what organizations are already doing But for those wishing to maximize that potential the level of effort and resources required to introduce track and leverage leading indicators can be substantial It s a learning process for the very people responsible for educating management about the value and or potential return on investment Without clear support from management as with any other type of employer initiative introducing leading indicators can be difficult An organization s health and safety culture is not defined by what management s
14. ace to ensure workers go home healthy and safe at the end of the day every day But it s not enough to introduce health and safety processes into the workplace and hope they do the trick What s needed is to measure their effectiveness on an ongoing basis include them in OHS performance discussions and make adjustments as appropriate Leading indicators can be a useful tool to help organizations track measure and adjust their OHS related activities so they can effectively direct their health and safety performance and avoid incidents harm Because they are able to target specific aspects of the organization s health and safety management program leading indicators can provide equally specific insight into the strengths and weaknesses of that program In the example on the right the point of observation the leading indicator is basic are workers following safe work procedures or not But if that measure were to include recording the nature of the task at hand i e extensive morning prep or single cutting event the results may reveal that non compliance has more to do with a perceived need for speed than a lack of safety training A strong health and safety culture will not put productivity ahead of worker health and safety so addressing that worker perception leading indicators should improve compliance and avoid potential incidents lagging indicators A restaurant requires kitchen workers to wear protective glo
15. agement program to determine if specific goals are being met and expected benefits are being realized To be effective the link between what leading indicators measure and the desired outcome should be clear It s a cause and effect relationship so you ll want to think about how what you measure impacts your outcome LEADING INDICATORS FOR WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY Year Year Year Year Year Year Year Year Year 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 near misses per 100 workers meeting peer to peer observation targets workers trained reported How many of the hazards flagged during hazard assessments have been controlled We would expect to see a link between addressing this leading indicator i e more controls in place cause and the desired outcome i e fewer incidents effect What per cent of workers have received OHS training for a new piece of equipment cause A low number here could help to explain undesirable outcomes such as equipment malfunction or poor adoption of the equipment effect Addressing this leading indicator could drive positive change of the outcome How many people in the office know the organization s specific health and safety policy cause Just about everyone Simply talking about your expectations around health and safety at work is unlikely to improve performance outcomes effect Discussion is always important but it needs to be paired with action OHS management programs are in pl
16. also want to Consider who is involved in the data collection and how the collection process itself is approached Remember our earlier example of observing kitchen workers cutting with or without safety gloves The leading indicator there was straightforward behaviour observation but how the observation is performed is important to the integrity of the information gathered Is the person who is observing the work someone internal to the organization or is it an outside consultant Has that individual been trained in what to look for Is the training or instruction standardized so the approach to observation remains consistent time after time What do workers know about the observer s purpose i e is their behaviour affected These are all important considerations They can influence the value of the information collected LEADING INDICATORS FOR WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY For the sake of data consistency and usability it s important to be perfectly clear about the method everyone is expected to use for recording and tracking leading indicators How is attendance at health and safety orientations recorded Is someone who arrives at the orientation 30 minutes late receiving credit for attending Does a worker who missed one day of a four day training session receive completion credit Develop standard questions approaches and or forms to ensure the exact same measure is going to be launched from the various plat
17. ays it does It s defined by real time actions Workers are quick to distinguish between corporate speak and genuine core values Management s attitude and demonstrated commitment is the primary influence on the status of health and safety as a core value In the workplace Simply put as with any other part of an OHS program if management does not actively promote the use of leading indicators it simply will not happen A USER GUIDE e An organization s current OHS performance level is an important consideration when selecting leading indicators Leading indicators are most effective when they are aligned with an organization s specific OHS goals Accordingly what is considered suitable for one organization may not be a good fit for another even within the same industry Below we discuss three workplace environments that might require three different sets of leading indicators Focus on compliance Organizations that are in the early stages of developing their OHS program or whose OHS performance level requires improvement can come up with a few key leading indicators to confirm compliance with legislated requirements Examples might be confirming whether hazard assessments are actually being completed and ensuring workers are involved in the process Then employers can build upon their list of key leading indicators later by monitoring how many job tasks risks and control measures were identified during formal hazard assessments i
18. can be noted as another expectation The benefits of leading indicators don t appear overnight Criteria for success We ve said this before but it can t be said often enough securing buy in from senior management is probably the single most important factor behind ensuring success Management gives the nod for the resources you need to do the work and clearly that s important But beyond resources there s the commitment of authentic leadership Managers promote health and safety as a core value by making it a priority no matter what Failing this individual measures to manage OHS performance often fail Managers demonstrate the standard for the health and safety culture that workers are going to adopt It s not about what is said here It s about what is seen The results take time as does the work itself That s true whether an organization is starting from square one or building upon an established foundation Organizations with well developed OHS management programs probably already collect large amounts of health and safety performance data that they can mine for potential leading indicators The challenge is finding the time to commit to doing so understanding what kinds of outcomes they are after and how to link indicators to those outcomes and then finding the time to act on what they discover A conscious and proactive health and safety culture goes beyond encouraging wo
19. e health and safety culture Year Year Year Year Year Year Year Year Year 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 workplace disabling WCB incidents injuries premium rates Lagging indicators can be useful when identifying trends in past performance Their long history of use has made for an accepted benchmark standard both within and across industries Lagging indicators are well understood are widely used in Canada and provide a good sense of how well an organization s existing OHS system is working or how poorly As the numbers go up down or stay the same from one year to the next the bottom line of an organization s health and safety performance may become clear But the bottom line is never the whole story It s typically the end result of many factors LEADING INDICATORS FOR WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY Lagging Indicators have their limitations Lagging indicators don t pinpoint where an OHS program might need improvement only that it does if it does and how badly Since lagging indicators don t explain the why behind the bottom line organizations may tend to respond with broad generalized corrective actions Resources can be spread thin and progress can be bogged down in a pattern of stops and starts Lagging indicators don t provide the full picture When managers see a low injury rate they may become complacent and put safety on the bottom of their to do list when in fact there are numerous risk factors pres
20. e bar even further through ongoing improvement To help establish where your organization is at in terms of its OHS performance level consider answering the Institute for Work amp Health Organizational Performance Metric IWH OPM questionnaire on the next page It is also available online at www iwh on ca iwh opm questionnaire Developed in Canada by a team of health and safety professionals and researchers this tool is proving effective i e valid and reliable in predicting injuries and illnesses within an organization based on that organization s current OHS policy and related activities LEADING INDICATORS FOR WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY Institute for Work amp Health Organizational Performance Metric Please answer the questions in regards to the percentage of time that each practice takes place 20 0 40 20 Health and Safety Practices 0 0 1 Formal safety audits at regular intervals are a normal part of our business 2 Everyone at this organization values ongoing safety improvement in this organization 3 This organization considers safety at least as important as production and quality in the way work is done 4 Workers and supervisors have the information they need to work safely 5 Employees are always involved in decisions affecting their health and safety 6 Those in charge of safety have the authority to make the changes they have identified as necessary 7 Those who act safely rec
21. e worth it improving and ensuring the health and safety of workers Content is based on a review of related science and expert opinion Please sample and take away what you think might be of benefit to you and or your organization Most importantly spend some time thinking and talking about leading indicators and their potential to improve health and safety in your workplace A USER GUIDE Backgrounq Many employers have been collecting information about their health and safety performance for decades Traditionally OHS management programs measure how well an employer is doing based on performance outcomes like the number of employee hours lost to work related injury or illness commonly referred to as lost time claim LTC or disabling injury DI rates the number of incident reports filled out and or the financial cost of Workers Compensation Board WCB claims These summary performance results or lagging indicators present numbers that are easy to count collect and compare from one year or one organization to the next However employers react to these lagging indicator numbers after the fact and when it comes to keeping their workers healthy and safe that may not be ideal Definition Lagging indicators Lagging indicators measure the end result of OHS processes policies and procedures They re a record of things that have already happened Since they record things after the fact they inform a reactiv
22. ed up and comfortable with their use If the value is not understood at the top of the organization the resources won t be made available Likewise if those supervising workers do not understand the value of leading indicators there s little chance workers on the ground level front line will take them seriously Front line staff engagement is essential for many types of leading indicators particularly when you are looking to build capacity in your OHS performance maturitv Those whose performance is being monitored and measured by leading indicators should be told about the specific indicators and the rationale behind using them There s no mystery here Knowledge is power and when people understand the why behind the what they re more inclined to embrace rather than rebel Leading indicators are not a one time line item in the organization s operating budget They face significant challenges if approached as a pilot project or just one more health and safety initiative Leading indicators should be introduced and understood as integral to the OHS management program These leading indicator performance measures are intended to drive continuous monitoring and health and safety improvement They evolve with the organization s performance level As a result OHS personnel themselves will require ongoing training to competently confidently and effectively inspire continued commitment at all organizational levels Patience
23. eive positive recognition 8 Everyone has the tools and or equipment they need to complete their work safely For the purposes of this survey an audit means a formal process of evaluating and reporting on how the organization manages health and safety in accordance with a recognized standard ie CSA Z1000 OHSAS 18001 or a health and safety association audit such as the COR audit Regular means that an audit is repeated at regular intervals for example once every year or once every two years Published by IWH and licensed under Creative Commons BY NC ND 4 0 International License http creativecommons org licenses by nc nd 4 0 This means the tool can be used and shared as long as IWH is credited as the source the tool is not modified and the tool is used for non commercial purposes only To calculate your organization s current performance level add your scores from each of the above questions and divide by 8 Scores in each percentage column are indicated in brackets 0 4 For example a score of 4 means your organization is performing the practice 80 100 of the time and a score of 0 means your organization is performing the practice O 20 of the time A USER GUIDE Choosing a leading indicator Plot your score on the line A A Compliance Improvement Continuous learning Score of less than 2 Score of 2 lt 3 50 70 Score of gt 3 75 or greater 0 40 of the time suggests expertise
24. ent in the workplace that could contribute to future injuries illnesses or deaths The information gap between bottom line OHS outcomes and the factors leading up to them is painfully obvious in cases of occupational illness and disease Outcomes e g occupational cancers noise induced hearing loss can take many years to appear or be diagnosed Lagging indicators fail to flag or measure gradual impairment Lagging indicators measure negative or unwanted outcomes such as injuries illnesses or deaths It s an approach that can impair an organization s efforts at building a positive safety culture Waiting for the damage to be done before addressing the risks may send a message that worker health and safety isn t a priority As well focusing solely on negative outcomes may erode worker morale and slow the drive for continuous improvement positive proactive approach to health and safety can have significant and measureable benefits Since lagging indicators record unwanted outcomes people are naturally reluctant to be counted in The information that is reported for lagging indicator outcomes may be tainted by personal bias or diluted through fear of punishment Incentives to report can also skew the results in the opposite direction The more weight an organization places on health and safety outcomes i e performance bonuses the less reliable the data behind lagging indicators can be In an ideal world
25. ether your workplace has a few workers or a few thousand Maybe you re involved in developing an occupational health and safety management program from the ground up Or perhaps you re involved in working to strengthen or grow an existing OHS management program for your workplace In any case there are good reasons to include leading indicators as tools for your overall approach to measuring and managing your organization s OHS performance and we d like you to consider them Leading indicators are aspects of workplace activities that can be used to improve OHS outcomes prior to an unwanted outcome occurring A familiar example might be the legislated hazard assessment and control process a preventative approach to reducing the risk of workplace injury and illness If changed leading indicators are expected to change related outcomes That makes them an important tool for managing health and safety at work This user guide provides an overview of what leading indicators are and how and why they might be applied to strengthen your organization s health and safety culture and performance Some leading indicators may be more effective than others depending on an organization s current level of OHS performance For that reason the user guide considers three categories of OHS performance those that are focused on maintaining compliance with Alberta legislation those looking for improvement beyond compliance and those in pursuit
26. forms Test the reading level of perception questions If the questions are not well understood by each person answering them the results may be impacted The need for consistent delivery is equally important when it comes to communicating what we ve learned from leading indicators and our follow up actions Leading indicators measure the performance of an organization s OHS program and various components within that organization It s IMportant to keep feedback focused on process improvements Keeping It fresh Leading indicators are integral to the Continuous improvement of OHS management programs The standard cycle of developing choosing Implementing measuring acting on and reporting leading indicators aligns with that of any typical management process plan do check act This is not a quick fix approach to managing occupational health and safety nor is it static It is cyclical Leading indicators can help to motivate safe behaviour personal commitment and continuous improvement They evolve through the life of an organization Where lagging indicators lose their ability to motivate or influence measurable safety performance improvement leading indicators can be ramped up or new targeted leading indicators can be introduced to advance workplace health and safety 00 LI Thankfully there s no shortage of fresh replacements In fact the closer an organization gets to the end goal of zero loss
27. ganizational OHS performance in action which means what leading indicators really measure is the contribution that people are making to the OHS management process Communicate the results of those efforts in a way that acknowledges the workers contributions and you rally worker morale the IWH OPM on p 9 that allows you to score and benchmark your organization s health and safety performance against firms in your sector Visit www iwh on ca olipsurvey and complete the online survey If you re interested Your score could be a great place to start a discussion about leading indicators within your organization Sharing what s been discovered with the people involved in the discovery highlights the real value of their efforts Everyone can see how their individual performance contributes to the organization s overall health and safety status Positive reinforcement invites participants to own those results And that sense of pride of ownership can ignite the will to drive continued improvements As the organization s health and safety culture gains strength and momentum from within your organization can look forward to realizing continued improvement in its overall OHS performance DE A USER GUIDE 21 In summary Healthy and safe workplaces are essential to the well being of workers and their employers This requires an ongoing understanding that efforts must be grown and sustained Tools or strategies
28. h to expand your roster later on as you gain some level of experience in their use Taking on too many leading indicators too soon before you re proficient at mining the information they can provide can dilute the benefits and may lessen their perceived value within the organization overall As well introducing too many leading indicators at once can make it difficult to pinpoint which ones are providing the greatest benefit An incident occurs and through root cause analysis it s determined that improper training led to the event More analysis determines that workers have reported improper training to be a concern and possibly a contributing factor behind incidents over the past 12 months since the trainer changed jobs To help prevent future incidents we could focus on safety training a leading indicator and components of that indicator could be worker satisfaction with training increased worker knowledge of content demonstrated knowledge of content etc In this example corrective actions on safety training Making sure workers are properly trained to do their jobs could lower the likelihood of reoccurring incidents LEADING INDICATORS FOR WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY Determine your strategy Make sure the leading indicators you choose are believed to have direct ties to the outcomes you are trying to achieve Otherwise you re unlikely to see benefits from your efforts So for example
29. iewed By whom How often are PPE equipment inspected for wear and tear etc By whom Are accountabilities clear What is the process for replacing PPE equipment How are decisions made to upgrade PPE equipment 4 Training and competency How is job competency assessed following hiring Is this repeated Who determines worker competency How is worker health and safety ensured prior to workers being deemed competent How is competenoy checked for those who train workers in the use of PPE In what formats is worker training provided How often How are worker suggestions for training handled How do workers receive additional health and safety training throughout their employment LEADING INDICATORS FOR WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY Reporting beyond legislated requirements How is PPE use and maintenance documented How long are records retained How are safe work procedures recorded documented How is information shared with affected workers How is management leadership made aware of the results Are staff safety activity expectations documented How are workers made aware when the hazards they ve reported are mitigated or controlled Is information reported in all health and safety areas analyzed for trends Job observations Are observational assessments performed for all workers management front line workers How is PPE use and maintenance documented How are observations done on proper PPE
30. in several suggests you re doing many indicates your focus should areas but limited integration things well There is no single be on ensuring you re within the overall health and category where your performance achieving compliance safety strategy is a significant issue With a good sense of where your organization is at in terms of its OHS performance level you can start thinking about specific activities that drive your organization s desired OHS outcomes If those activities can be measured they are leading indicators and can be used as performance metrics for your OHS management system O LEADING INDICATORS FOR WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY Some examples of leading indicator metrics Focus on compliance re action items being completed within defined timelines re workers assessed for knowledge of hazards specific to their job task What per cent of the workforce has completed organization specific health and safety training Focus on Improvement Per cent of leadership that is meeting job observation targets Per cent of job descriptions with specific health and safety accountabilities Number of near misses reported compared with the total number of recorded incidents Number of equipment inspections including vehicles completed vs targeted Focus on continuous learning Per cent of action items from health and safety perception surveys e g safety culture or hazard surveys that are completed Per cent of workers mee
31. nalyses of work and associated hazards developed Who is involved How are they kept current How are hazards identified in hazard analyses Is management leadership involved How are hazards prioritized after identification How Is information from hazard assessments made available Is information readily available in the field work alberta ca documents ohs best practices BP018 pdf Hazard Assessment and Control a handbook for Alberta employers and workers Hazard control How often does preventative equipment maintenance happen Is this regularly scheduled How is responsibility for equipment maintenance made clear How are maintenance records managed How are controls identified in hazard analyses Is management leadership involved in checking proper use of controls How does management leadership evaluate training to ensure workers are properly trained in controls How does management leadership research understand and implement industry standards How are workers involved How are lessons learned shared Is this information shared broadly within the industry A USER GUIDE Appendix 3 Worksite inspections of PPE equipment How are inspections done on PPE equipment In accordance with manufacturers specifications Industry best practice What is the process for inspection and maintenance for PPE equipment How is that process audited How are the results of inspections rev
32. nformation whether or not workers know the results of those assessments as legislation requires possible solution and addressing the hazards corrective actions Focus on Improvement Organizations with more established OHS programs stronger OHS performance levels beyond basic compliance might introduce leading indicators to grow and refine their existing programs for continued improvement Examples could include asking what per cent of the workforce has OHS training beyond basic legislated compliance how often health and safety is discussed at meetings or how often management walks the floor Focus on continuous learning Organizations with a mature OHS culture a consistently high level of OHS performance low incident rates can select leading indicators to drill down for deeper knowledge drawing out information about their health and safety culture They might select leading indicators to track what per cent of their communication budget is dedicated to OHS or how many different avenues the organization uses to communicate OHS messaging Your organization s OHS performance level will influence the nature and goal of your selection and use of leading indicators Are you struggling to meet the essential legislated requirements Are you looking to improve your organization s OHS performance beyond those minimum requirements Or is your organization already demonstrating a consistently high level of OHS performance and wanting to raise th
33. of continuous learning for the highest levels of performance tool is provided to help establish which category best describes your organization s current OHS performance level as well as sample leading indicators for each performance category for your consideration The information contained herein is intended for organizations that are looking for ways to improve their OHS outcomes Whenever we reference organizations in this user guide we mean employers and workers that make up those organizations Although the use of leading indicators is not a legislated requirement in Alberta adopting leading indicators May help organizations achieve their health and safety goals to Improve performance Not everything in this guide will be applicable to every audience This user guide has been compiled to provide a broad knowledge base on leading indicators and to offer guidance on how they may be applied to your organization regardless of current OHS performance The user guide is designed to have something for everyone whether you have never heard of leading indicators or need to get a fresh perspective or some additional depth to what you might already be thinking or doing We believe that the information you take away on leading indicators has the potential to make a powerful impact on health and safety performance Realizing this potential will make some additional work and effort necessary but the ultimate benefits ar
34. only and may be applicable to assist in establishing a compliant health and safety system at your work site However it is critical that you evaluate your own unique circumstances to ensure that an appropriate program is established for your work site It is strongly recommended that you consult relevant professionals e g lawyers health and safety professionals and specialists to assist in the development of your own program Copyright and terms of use This material including copyright and marks under the Trade Marks Act Canada is owned by the Government of Alberta and protected by law This material may be used reproduced stored or transmitted for non commercial purposes however Crown copyright is to be acknowledged If it is to be used reproduced stored or transmitted for commercial purposes written consent of the Minister is necessary Acknowledgements This user guide was developed with input from ATCO Electric Chemco Electrical Contractors Ltd Construction Owners Association of Alberta Devon Canada Corporation Enform Imperial Oil Limited Institute for Work amp Health Occupational Health and Safety 2015 Government of Alberta Jobs Skills Training and Labour As an Alberta worker or employer you likely understand the need to promote a culture of health and safety in the work environment Occupational health and safety OHS is an ongoing responsibility that requires time and effort That s true wh
35. reduce injuries illnesses and or incidents they can help provide assurance and build confidence where corrective actions are shown to be in place Leading indicators measure the inputs that people are making to the OHS management process They measure the presence of safety as opposed to the absence of injury They acknowledge individual efforts and in so doing can inspire a positive culture towards improving health and safety performance Leading indicators work to complement the more traditional outcome based measures of lagging indicators and can be used to balance out some of the limitations there Together leading and lagging indicators provide a solid bigger picture perspective on what is and is not working in your OHS management program bu bs S bu bs a S iu mo 9o workers near 9o per 100 trained misses workers reported workers meeting peer to peer observation targets Leading indicators LEADING INDICATORS FOR WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY INCIDENT PREVENTED Se ri bg Year Year Year Year Year Year DA 1 2 workplace disabling WCB incidents injuries premium rates Lagging indicators Challenges Organizations have been working to manage occupational health and safety for many years but leading indicators are a relatively new addition to the OHS toolbox Even organizations with designated OHS personnel may lack familiarity with and knowledge around how to identify implement and
36. rivers receiving driver training Focus on improvement How is knowledge demonstrated by workers following training refreshers Is training improving knowledge and skills Choose leading indicators that reflect a mix Likewise you ll want to look for leading indicators of activity related and quality measures that serve to identify trends instead of The temptation may be to focus on counting activities providing instantaneous one off measures but in the end it s not the numbers themselves that If mandatory driver training happens only once as matter it s the quality of the information collected and part of a new worker orientation for example and all what you ve done in response to what you ve learned new workers participate there s little to be learned Continuing with the earlier example you can track from attendance records moving forward Again the how often workers receive driver training to confirm value of leading indicators is in their ability to influence compliance with an employer s policy or you can future actions There s no real point to knowing where conduct an awareness or perception survey to find out an organization stands in the absence of any intent to what workers think they re getting out of that training reposition it and then if appropriate adjust the training to improve it Target your approach for results that will have the greatest potential impact on your desired outcomes O LEADING INDICATORS FOR
37. rkers to report unhealthy or unsafe conditions It rewards them for doing so and for putting health and safety first And that s why it s so important that the selection of specific leading indicators and their purpose be understood and owned by those whose performance is being measured To secure meaningful data from your selected leading indicators you will require worker support and participation These are after all the same people who may be responsible for adopting any preventative actions that come out of the process Workers may be inclined to see dictated measures like mandatory personal protective equipment PPE for example as something that impairs their personal comfort or mobility on the job But if they are helped to understand the required PPE is there for their own protection they re more likely to appreciate the benefits and comply willingly with the requirements SOGAG MT A USER GUIDE You ll want to structure the introduction of leading indicators in a way that will promote ownership by line management supervisors and workers If leading indicators are perceived as some kind of a pet project for health and safety personnel the organization will not realize the benefits intended For best results an organization s selection of leading indicators is a calculated process specific to that organization But the nature of the information collected is only part of the equation for success here You ll
38. s workers LEADING INDICATORS FOR WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY Benchmarking s an organization you may want to know how you re performing relative to others in your industry It s always nice to know if you are a top performer but it s important to understand the relativity of benchmark results If others in the industry are performing poorly even an average performance on your part can profile you as an industry leader Through the Ontario Leading Indicators Project the Institute for Work amp Health has developed a comprehensive set of leading indicators including Feedback communication The success your organization realizes from its use of leading indicators will be determined by how effectively it communicates the results It s important to actively and openly share your findings with all levels of the organization that are invested This includes everyone from the executives and senior management that make decisions about how resources have been and will be allocated in the future a more formal reporting process may be in order here to line management supervisors and workers who will be responsible for introducing and acting upon any operational change This feedback loop serves to inform confirm and reinforce the value of the organization s investment commitment And if managed correctly it can do even more Unlike lagging indicators which measure the final results leading indicators measure or
39. the use of leading indicators within your organization know that there s going to be a learning curve involved for everyone and that on occasion you re likely going to be in the position of learning by teaching others Training and maintenance For years many workers and employers have focused entirely on recordable incidents and their impact on the bottom line Lagging data is familiar territory but leading indicators may not be as familiar Lack of knowledge or understanding may explain why some leaders tend to have a lower level of appreciation for leading indicators If the organization s senior leadership gets it you re well on your way to Success In your OHS role it s going to be your job to help engage and educate all levels of management on what leading indicators are and how tracking them can contribute to improving the organization s OHS performance You ll need their support as you move forward Think about making information about leading and lagging indicators a standard element of manager supervisor training work alberta ca Supervisor Roles documents ohs best and Responsibilities pra cti C e S BPO20 p df an an health and safety handbook ie Alberta A E LEADING INDICATORS FOR WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY As you introduce leading indicators into your OHS management program there may be a fairly substantial level of investment commitment involved in getting staff train
40. ting peer to peer observation targets per month per 100 workers Number or per cent of near miss findings communicated to organization Per cent of health and safety meetings led by management compared to target Per cent of near misses that have been scheduled for follow up and have had responsibility assigned The list of potential leading indicators goes on and on and may depend on the resources and commitment available for an organization s OHS program See Appendix on p 27 for a list of questions that might trigger discussion for developing leading indicators relevant to your organizational needs Understand that in time as an organization s OHS management program evolves and OHS performance issues improve an organization s tried and true set of leading indicators may become obsolete If that happens new leading indicators may need to be introduced As in other aspects of operations continuous improvement necessitates change A USER GUIDE Consider your goals Focus on the areas of your organization s operation that could have the greatest impact in terms of improving occupational health and safety Where available you ll want to identify industry best practices for addressing those specific areas and then select leading indicators that relate to the outcome s you are trying to achieve oome pioneer thinkers in the area recommend limiting the number of leading indicators to no more than two or three to start It s easy enoug
41. uiding the adoption of potential leading Indicators Does your choice of leading indicators point to specific operational inputs and desired outputs Are these inputs measureable Is there a clear connection to your OHS management program to hold people accountable Are the logistics of collecting the related data going to be reasonable and timely If so they re probably a good fit for your needs Specific Measurable Accountable Reasonable Timely Example scenario In the past year or so several of your workers have been involved in motor vehicle collisions on the job You want to improve safety for driving outcome To do that you might consider how often workers are receiving mandatory driver training refresher training This is something that can be easily measured by tracking worker participation in training opportunities Since the training is a documented employer requirement for the job i e mandatory it s natural to hold people accountable And the information attendance records for training programs is likely already available If attendance is not already being formally documented it is easy enough to start tracking that information Conclusion How often drivers are receiving driver training refresher training may be a good leading indicator for predicting and promoting driver safety in your workplace A USER GUIDE Choosing a leading indicator Focus on compliance How often are d
42. use Are workers involved in this process How do recommendations from observations result in corrections How quickly does this happen Defined safety accountabilities How do workers demonstrate they understand their health and safety role in the organization Are these roles clearly articulated for each position How is this done Does management leadership attend safety meetings How do they actively participate in health and safety Management leadership commitment OORS How does management articulate OHS goals and expectations What methods are used How does management set goals and objectives for individuals related to health and safety compliance How are these reviewed with staff What are the consequences for workers who do not follow health and safety procedures How does management share health and safety performance results with workers both positive and negative How does the organization make health and safety policy and OHS legislation an integral part of staff orientation at all levels How prominently does this appear within the orientation Does the organization have safety resources In what formats How does senior leadership demonstrate the organization s OHS commitments How often does management leadership walk the work site Attend safety meetings How often are health and safety on the agenda for management leadership meetings What are the accountabilities assigned to management
43. ves when cutting with sharp knives It s a standard safe work practice the employer has put in place and the assumption is everyone follows it but how often are they actually doing so A leading indicator can be of use here Regular observations can capture and record this information i e number of observations with without gloves and corrective actions e g additional safety training reminders of safety expectations can be introduced before someone gets injured A USER GUIDE Strengths of leading indicators Leading indicators that are connected to specific OHS program goals introduce a real level of accountability for those goals But beyond tracking progress toward achieving specific goals leading indicators can also measure and monitor their relative importance They can gauge the connection between policies procedures practices and activities in achieving desired OHS outcomes Leading indicators can be introduced at any point in an organization s efforts to manage its OHS performance This flexibility means they can evolve right along with the workplace keeping step with an organization s level of OHS maturity performance and keeping focused on relevant areas to generate specific information possible solutions corrective actions Unlike lagging indicators which focus on outcomes from the past leading indicators reflect positive opportunities for changing OHS performance In the process of helping to
44. zed nature of what s being measured from one organization to the next makes comparisons between organizations unlikely without significant cooperative efforts In house measures are apt to change as performance levels improve so keep this in mind if you are tracking results internally over several years The huge advantage that leading indicators have over lagging outputs alone is their ability to flag potential risks before any harm results They have the ability to drive corrective action The link between the leading indicator and the corresponding target outcome may Z3 be confirmed if the lagging indicator trends downward The right corrective actions will prevent incident Trending with leading indicators is more about establishing thresholds beyond which corrective MR actions are recommended than about setting targets evidence Etero ilaro indicators that more and then tracking those trained workers translates into fewer incidents less harm In response the organization provides more training leading indicator may be the per cent of trained workers Over time we see Moreover the use of leading indicators sends the leadership message that safety is important It tells the worker We want you to take time to do this leading activity because your safety is a priority Even if a potential risk is not found and fixed it helps to embed and sustain the health and safety culture p trained al incident
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