Leading Indicators
The majority of sites have introduced leading indicators to support the measurement and tracking of their critical safety interventions.
A leading indicator is a metric used to drive and measure activities carried out to prevent and control injury, damage or loss. When measured and monitored effectively, they provide data to enable effective intervention to address or reverse a negative trend before it results in injury, damage or loss.
A guideline document and presentation have been developed to help increase knowledge, create discussion and promote the wider use of leading indicators as a driver of safety improvement across the Company.
Injury statistics or other lagging indicators provide an overall estimate of the progress required to achieve our vision of Zero Harm, but they do not measure the effective implementation of safety programs, proactive action plans and preventive activities in place. If lagging indicators are used as the only index of safety achievement (or failure), they can do more harm than good, as people are not empowered to take control of safety and to develop an effective organisational safety climate. It is important that we use a mix of leading and lagging indicators to measure overall safety effectiveness and performance.
The diagram below provides an indicative breakdown of leading and lagging indicators being promoted at various levels of the organisation. The ratios are illustrative only and can be modified to suit circumstances.
The use of a greater proportion of leading indicators at individual and department levels reinforces personal involvement and improves the perceptions individuals and work teams have about their control and management of injuries. Key to this has been our introduction of near miss reporting. Read more: Safety>Our Performance>Near Miss and Significant Incident Reporting.
Breakdown of Lead and Lag Indicators Being Promoted Across the Company
Examples of Leading Indicators used by BHP Billiton:
- field visits conducted
- observations/audits/inspections conducted versus planned
- face time in field versus planned
- number of safety contacts
- safety communications conducted
- implementation of site safety action plan
- implementation of Fatal Risk Control Protocols
- implementation of action plans resulting from HSEC audit findings
- percentage of Incidents investigated
- number of positive rewards and recognition given
- number of near misses reported
- number of repeat incidents
- percentage of Job Safety Analyses completed for critical activities
- percentage of safe behaviours observed
- percentage of actions implemented from observations
- percentage of significant incidents reviewed and closed out from circulation lists
- percentage of hazards rectified
- ratio of near misses to accidents reported.
