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Safety Metrics & Leadership

Document Type: Advanced Program
Version: 1.0
Last Updated: February 2026
Distribute To: Executives, Safety Directors, Project Managers
Complexity: Enterprise-level

Purpose​

Establish an enterprise safety management framework focused on leading indicators, safety culture, and metrics that drive performance rather than just measuring incidents.

Beyond Compliance: Safety Leadership​

Compliance-based safety: Do the minimum to avoid citations World-class safety: Zero incidents is the only acceptable goal

The Business Case for Safety Excellence:​

FactorPoor SafetyExcellent Safety
EMR1.2+0.7 or below
Insurance costs+30-50%-20-30%
Bid qualificationLimitedPreferred
Owner preferenceConcernsValued
ProductivityLowerHigher
Employee retentionHigher turnoverLower turnover

Safety Metrics Framework​

Lagging Indicators (What Happened):​

MetricFormulaIndustry AverageWorld Class
TRIR(Recordables × 200,000) ÷ Hours3.0under 1.0
DART(DART cases × 200,000) ÷ Hours1.5under 0.5
Severity Rate(Lost days × 200,000) ÷ Hours50under 20
EMRExperience vs. Expected1.0under 0.75
FatalitiesCount-0

Limitation: Lagging indicators measure failure. By the time they change, someone is already hurt.

Leading Indicators (What's Coming):​

MetricWhat It MeasuresTarget
Near Miss RatioNear misses reported ÷ Recordablesover 30:1
Observation RateObservations ÷ 1000 hoursover 10
Training CompletionComplete ÷ Required100%
Inspection CompletionComplete ÷ Required100%
Hazard Correction TimeDays from ID to correctionunder 3 days
Pre-Task Planning RatePTPs completed ÷ Required100%
Participation RateWorkers engaged ÷ Totalover 80%

Value: Leading indicators predict and prevent incidents.

Near Miss Reporting​

Why Near Misses Matter:​

Heinrich's Triangle (updated research):

        /\
       /  \         1 Fatality
      /----\
     /      \       10 Serious Injuries
    /--------\
   /          \     30 Minor Injuries
  /------------\
 /              \   600 Near Misses
/________________\
     10,000 At-Risk Behaviors

Near misses are free lessons - same hazard, no injury.

Creating a Reporting Culture:​

BarrierSolution
Fear of blameNo-fault reporting policy
Don't see valueShare lessons learned
Takes too timeMake it easy (mobile app)
Nothing happensVisible follow-up
Management ignoresExecutive review

Near Miss Quality Metrics:​

  • Volume trending up (means reporting is working)
  • Time to close
  • Root cause identified
  • Corrective actions effective
  • Shared across organization

Safety Culture Assessment​

Culture Maturity Model:​

LevelCharacteristicsMetrics
1. Pathological"Don't get caught"High incidents, low reporting
2. ReactiveSafety after incidentsAverage metrics, reactive
3. CalculativeSystems in placeMetrics-driven, compliance
4. ProactiveAnticipate problemsLeading indicators, engagement
5. GenerativeSafety is how we workExcellence, peer accountability

Culture Assessment Questions:​

For Workers:

  • Do you feel comfortable reporting hazards?
  • Does your supervisor take safety seriously?
  • Do you receive adequate training?
  • Are you involved in safety decisions?
  • Would you stop unsafe work?

For Management:

  • Is safety integrated into planning?
  • Are resources adequate?
  • Do you review leading indicators?
  • How do you respond to near misses?
  • Do you recognize safe behavior?

Safety Leadership Behaviors​

Executive Level:​

  • Visible commitment (site visits, meetings)
  • Resource allocation
  • Review leading indicators
  • Hold managers accountable
  • Recognize excellence

Project/Site Level:​

  • Daily safety engagement
  • Pre-task planning participation
  • Inspection completion
  • Incident investigation rigor
  • Coaching, not policing

Supervisor Level:​

  • Lead by example
  • Pre-task briefings
  • Real-time correction
  • Recognition of safe work
  • Near miss encouragement

Safety Performance Dashboard​

================================================================
           SAFETY PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD
================================================================

Period: ____________  Hours Worked: _____________

================================================================

LAGGING INDICATORS:

Metric              This Period  YTD    Target   Status
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
TRIR                   ____      ____    under 1.0    🟢🟡🔴
DART                   ____      ____    under 0.5    🟢🟡🔴
Severity Rate          ____      ____    under 20     🟢🟡🔴
Recordables (#)        ____      ____     0      🟢🟡🔴
First Aid (#)          ____      ____    under 5      🟢🟡🔴

================================================================

LEADING INDICATORS:

Metric              This Period  YTD    Target   Status
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Near Misses Reported   ____      ____    over 50     🟢🟡🔴
Observations           ____      ____    over 100    🟢🟡🔴
Training Complete      ____%     ____%   100%    🟢🟡🔴
Inspections Complete   ____%     ____%   100%    🟢🟡🔴
PTPs Complete          ____%     ____%   100%    🟢🟡🔴
Hazard Close Rate      ____days  ____    under 3      🟢🟡🔴

================================================================

TREND ANALYSIS:

TRIR Trend (12 mo):   ↑ Improving  → Stable  ↓ Declining

Near Miss Trend:      ↑ Improving  → Stable  ↓ Declining

================================================================

FOCUS AREAS:

Top Hazard Categories This Period:
1. _________________________________ (____ observations)
2. _________________________________ (____ observations)
3. _________________________________ (____ observations)

================================================================

Safety Incentive Programs​

Effective vs. Ineffective:​

Ineffective (Avoid):

  • Rewards for zero injuries (discourages reporting)
  • Group rewards for lagging indicators
  • Prizes for low TRIR

Effective (Implement):

  • Rewards for near miss reporting
  • Recognition for hazard identification
  • Incentives for training completion
  • Team rewards for leading indicators
  • Celebration of safe behaviors

Sample Program:​

BehaviorRecognition
Near miss reportThank you, small reward
Hazard correctionPublic recognition
100% trainingBonus/swag
Stop work for safetyStrong praise
Safety innovationAward, visibility

Subcontractor Safety Management​

Prequalification:​

FactorMinimumPreferred
EMRunder 1.2under 1.0
TRIR (3-yr avg)under 4.0under 2.0
Written safety programYesRobust
Training documentationYesComprehensive
OSHA citationsNone recentNone

Ongoing Management:​

  • Include in daily safety meetings
  • Monitor compliance
  • Audit performance
  • Track metrics separately
  • Enforce requirements

Incident Investigation​

Root Cause Analysis:​

Don't stop at: "Worker didn't follow procedure" Ask: "Why didn't they follow procedure?"

5 Why's Example:

  1. Why did he fall? Ladder slipped
  2. Why did ladder slip? Wrong angle
  3. Why wrong angle? Not trained
  4. Why not trained? New employee
  5. Why new employee not trained? No onboarding process

Root Cause: Inadequate onboarding process

Investigation Quality Metrics:​

  • Time to complete investigation
  • Root cause depth (not blame)
  • Corrective actions identified
  • Corrective actions implemented
  • Recurrence rate

Benchmarking​

Industry Comparison Sources:​

  • BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
  • OSHA data by NAICS
  • AGC safety survey
  • ENR safety data
  • CFMA survey

Construction Industry (2024 typical):​

MetricAll ConstructionSpecialty TradesWorld Class
TRIR2.83.0under 1.0
DART1.51.6under 0.5
Fatality rate10.1/100K11.0/100K0
  • Safety Orientation
  • Incident Reporting
  • JHA Procedure
  • Toolbox Talks
  • Safety Meetings App Integration

References​

  • OSHA Recommended Practices for Safety Programs
  • NSC Injury Facts
  • ANSI Z10 (OHS Management Systems)
  • ISO 45001
  • DuPont Bradley Curve

Template provided by support.construction. Enterprise-level safety management for industry leadership.