.png)
Health and Safety Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are measurable values that track workplace safety performance. They help businesses monitor risks, prevent accidents, and improve safety culture by providing clear data on where improvements are needed.
Tracking safety KPIs is essential for:
Without tracking KPIs, safety programmes lack direction. Measuring key safety data helps businesses take action before accidents happen, making workplaces safer and more productive.
Safety KPIs provide a clear picture of workplace safety, showing whether current policies and training are effective.
Analysing trends in near misses, incident reports, and unsafe behaviours helps spot potential hazards before they cause harm.
Tracking safety data helps companies see where they need to improve, such as updating procedures or providing additional training.
By monitoring incident rates and safety compliance, businesses can lower the number of workplace injuries over time.
A safe workplace boosts morale, reduces stress, and increases job satisfaction, leading to better overall productivity.
YOUFactors is a health and safety app designed to help employees develop safer habits through small, everyday changes. It helps improve safety KPIs by:
Effective safety tracking relies on strong data collection. Historically, safety metrics were based on past accidents, only addressing issues after they occurred. Behaviour-Based Safety (BBS) changed this by shifting the focus to observing and improving behaviours before accidents happen.
Initially, BBS methods were subjective, relying on basic observations. However, two key techniques improved precision:
Companies also used Pareto Analysis to identify the most critical behaviours linked to accidents, leading to more focused safety checklists and better long-term safety improvements.
With advancements in BBS, new tools and software have emerged to track key safety behaviours. Metrics like "Percent Safe" have become popular, offering a measurable way to assess workplace safety culture. Even though observers sometimes influenced results by announcing their presence, this actually accelerated behaviour changes.
Tracking the right safety KPIs helps businesses understand how well their safety programmes are working. Here are some key safety metrics to measure:
SOFR tracks how frequently safety observations are made over a specific period. It's calculated by dividing the total number of safety observations by the total work hours or shifts. A higher SOFR shows a proactive effort to identify and fix unsafe behaviors.
Formula:
💡 SOFR = (Total Number of Safety Observations/ Total Work Hours or Shifts) x 1,000
TRIR measures the number of recordable injuries or illnesses for every 100 full-time employees over a year. It’s calculated by taking the total number of recordable injuries, multiplying by 200,000 (the typical number of work hours in a year), and dividing by the total hours worked. TRIR gives a clear view of workplace safety performance, showing trends and the effectiveness of safety programs.
Formula:
💡 TRIR = (Total Number of Injuries & Illnesses x 200,000) / Total Hours Worked
You can frequently compare SOFR and TRIR rates, as they are often interrelated. This relationship is illustrated in the chart from ICMA safety metrics.
The Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) is an important safety metric that measures work-related injuries leading to lost time per million hours worked. To calculate it, you take the total number of lost time injuries, multiply by 1,000,000 to standardize the rate, and then divide by the total hours worked.
Formula:
💡 LTRIR = (Number of Lost Time Cases x 200,000) / Total Hours Worked
This metric calculates the percentage of safe behaviors observed, offering a snapshot of the safety climate. The Percent Safe score is determined by dividing the number of safe behaviors observed by the total number of behaviors observed, then multiplying by 100 to convert it to a percentage. It's calculated by having a trained observers monitor workers' behaviors, categorizing each observed action as either safe or unsafe based on predefined criteria.
Formula:
💡 Percent Safe= (Number of Safe Behaviors Observed/Total Number of Behavior Observed) x 100
Tracks the number of workplace safety incidents, including injuries and hazards. A high rate may indicate frequent issues, while a low rate could signal underreporting. Encouraging all incident reports helps identify risks early.
Measures how often near misses or close calls—accidents that almost happened—are reported. A rising near miss rate can indicate a proactive safety culture where employees recognise and report hazards before they cause harm.
Measures the percentage of employees completing required safety training. A high rate ensures workers have the necessary safety knowledge. Digital tools like YOUFactors improve completion rates through reminders and engaging content.
To measure KPIs effectively, businesses should follow these steps:
YOUFactors addresses these challenges by promoting habit-building and behavioural change, leading to better safety outcomes.
Building a culture of safety requires employees to adopt consistent safety habits. Strong safety habits help improve:
YOUFactors uses digital nudges and microlearning to help employees develop safer habits over time. By making safety behaviour automatic, it reduces the chances of accidents.
Tracking Health and Safety KPIs is essential for creating a safer, more productive workplace. However, data alone doesn’t change behaviour—strong safety habits do.
While YOUFactors is not a KPI tracking system, it is a habit-building tool that supports long-term safety improvements. By encouraging consistent safety behaviours, it helps reduce accident rates and improve key safety metrics.
KPIs help businesses measure progress, but real safety success comes from consistent, safe behaviour. By combining safety data with behavioural change strategies, organisations can create a culture of safety that lasts.
Looking to improve your workplace safety habits?
Find out how YOUFactors can help your team build better safety habits and reduce errors today!
Resources:
.webp){kind=icon}
Your Trusted Companion for Safer Habits
The YOUFactors app helps you and your team reduce human errors that cause accidents, enhancing safety and increasing productivity both at work and at home.
%20(1).avif)
Explore more insights and strategies to enhance your workplace safety
Ever feel like you’re doing everything right but still not reaching your full potential? Are mistakes slowing you down, or have you faced errors with more gravity? Let’s see how mastering mistakes can keep you safer and more productive.
The Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique (HEART) is a method for predicting and reducing human error in complex tasks by identifying conditions that increase the likelihood of mistakes. This blog explains how HEART works, its key features, and how it can enhance safety across various industries.