To ensure workplace safety and continuous improvement, safety managers track various essential metrics. 

These metrics offer insights into the efficacy of safety programs, allowing proactive identification of potential risks and areas for enhancement.

Incident rates:

This metric measures the number of incidents (e.g., injuries, near-misses, property damage) that occur in a given time period, such as per year or per month. Tracking incident rates can help safety managers understand the likelihood of an incident occurring and identify trends or patterns that may indicate a need for intervention. 

Lost time injury rate:

This metric measures the number of injuries that result in an employee being unable to work for a certain period of time. It is typically expressed as the number of lost time injuries per million hours worked. It measures severity and aids in prioritizing preventive measures against more severe incidents.

Recordable injury rate:

This metric measures the number of injuries that are serious enough to be recorded on the company’s injury and illness log. It is typically expressed as the number of recordable injuries per 100 full-time employees. Tracking this metric can help safety managers understand the overall level of injury risk in the workplace and identify areas where intervention may be needed.

First aid injury rate:

This metric measures the number of injuries that require first aid but do not result in lost time from work. It is typically expressed as the number of first aid injuries per million hours worked. This metric can help understand the overall level of injury risk in the workplace and identify areas where intervention may be needed.

Employee training hours:

This metric measures the amount of time employees spend participating in safety training. The time dedicated to safety training indicates the investment in employee safety and compliance with essential safety guidelines.

Employee involvement:

This metric measures the level of employee involvement in the safety program, such as through participation in safety committees or other safety-related activities. It helps understand the level of employee engagement in safety and identify opportunities to increase engagement.

Near-miss reporting rate:

This metric measures the number of near-miss incidents that are reported by employees. It is typically expressed as the number of near-miss reports per million hours worked. Encouraging the reporting of near-miss incidents helps identify potential hazards, enabling proactive measures to prevent future incidents.

Corrective action completion rate:

This metric measures the percentage of corrective actions (e.g., recommendations made as a result of an incident investigation) that are completed within a specified time frame. Tracking this metric can help safety managers ensure that identified hazards are addressed in a timely manner.

Compliance audit findings:

This metric measures the number of non-compliances identified during safety audits. It is typically expressed as the number of non-compliances per audit. Tracking this metric can help safety managers identify areas where the safety program may be falling short and implement improvements to ensure compliance with regulations.

Safety program effectiveness:

This metric measures the overall effectiveness of the safety program, such as by assessing employee attitudes towards safety or the level of management commitment to safety. Tracking this metric can help safety managers understand the overall effectiveness of the safety program and identify areas for improvement.