Leading indicators for safety, health and wellbeing at work

Traditional indicators of occupational safety and health (OSH) are often reactive, negative and with a long follow-up time, such as accidents, injuries, sickness-absence, ill health and disease. In an expanded focus on OSH there is a need for leading indicators and proactive key performance indicators of safety, health and wellbeing as a supplement to these lagging indicators. This presentation deals
with the development of 14 proactive leading indicators for safety, health and wellbeing. Information was gathered through a literature study and a knowledge-transfer-and-exchange (research to practice) process with experience from industries, sector specific organizations and OSH professionals from around the world. Indicators were selected that would be of practical use and value for companies in e.g. proactively gauging progress and benchmarking with others. The indicators are relevant for each of the three facets of safety, health and wellbeing, and how they each are ‘integrated’ in regular business
processes. They are outlined in one-page fact-sheets with descriptions of the key concepts, aims, good practices and examples of how to measure the indicator. The indicators deal with integrating safety, health and wellbeing in visible leadership commitment and worker involvement, onboarding, refresher training, procurement, regular briefings, risk assessments, innovation and change, learning from unplanned events etc. An example is an indicator for following-up and learning from pre-work briefings (e.g. toolbox meetings, daily management whiteboard meetings), which are short, regular discussions between leaders and workers held directly before work tasks begin. Three proposals for measuring the indicators are provided, allowing for adaption to the sector and size of an enterprise, and which can be used for benchmarking and as proactive key performance indicators.