Leading indicators: Strategies for safety and success without searching for a silver bullet!

Lately, our consulting teams have been asked an intriguing question: “What are the best leading indicators for safety?” People are curious about how insights from JMJ’s clients might be applied to their own operations. The desire to learn and improve is always a good thing, but I sometimes get the feeling that people are hoping for a “silver bullet”.

To explore the question further, I consulted four senior safety managers. Between them, they have over 90 years of experience across projects spanning construction to operations, offshore and onshore, pipelines, gas, refining, chemicals, and more. They’ve improved safety performance from the shores of Brazil to the far reaches of East Russia, Australia to Canada, as well as Europe and the Middle East.

Breaking the myth of the perfect indicator

So, what wisdom did they share? First off, they dispelled any notion of a “perfect” leading indicator. A site or operation is a living, evolving entity, and the metrics need to keep up with that shift. In other words, just as your culture transforms over time, your safety leading indicators should too. A lot of organizations rely heavily on worker observations. They catalogue safe and not-so-safe behaviors, and dutifully report them. But does this kind of inflexibility ever result in safety breakthroughs? One of the experts I spoke with thinks not. His firmly-held belief is that safety indicators should be refreshed periodically to avoid becoming rigid, bureaucratic, exercises. When left unaltered for too long, attempts to breathe new life into them simply add more data without generating much valuable information. The result tends to be a preoccupation with minor incidents rather than focusing on truly critical safety matters.

Taking the first step

One thing my HSE colleagues all agree on is that identifying the problems you are trying to solve is the critical first step to establishing an effective safety leading indicator program. This approach is exemplified by an organization which dealt with incidents relating to alcohol consumption and rule breaking by introducing breathalyzers and extra pre-checks. These new practices were meticulously audited to measure their effectiveness. Another example involved developing targeted training for departments or groups facing competency gaps. The advice here is that while tracking attendance and completion is great, don’t forget to check in again three months later to see how well people are retaining key concepts and practices.

Building on success

It’s important to keep driving for improvements but when you see new practices yielding positive outcomes, it is equally important to appreciate and acknowledge those achievements. Doing this helps create a positive mindset so when you ask people on the front lines – your supervisors, technicians, and foremen -“What’s the next level of success, efficiency, or safety?” they will be willing to engage. A great exercise is to ask, “What does excellence look and feel like? How did we get there? What did we do to prepare for that?” It’s all about innovating, listening and being prepared to try a new approach. Of course, not everything will work, but the ownership your teams take and the collaborative culture it creates make a couple of minor missteps very worthwhile.

Understanding complexities

In ongoing operations, leading indicators should be robust and diverse, mirroring the complexity of modern (process) facilities. One way of viewing complexity is as a closely linked set of interconnected and intricate processes. Looking at it in this way will lead to a dynamic set of practices and indicators. Think inspections and their findings, drills and the lessons they teach, minor and high-potential incidents and what we learn from them (not just procedural tweaks, but tangible changes that improve the operation itself). One of the safety leaders in my focus group brought up specialized personal protective equipment (PPE) and gear – are we keeping a watchful eye on those? And, of course, don’t forget training logs – they should be in place and scrutinized. It’s all about maintaining safe practices, foreseeing gaps, and ensuring their continued strength.

The human element

Lastly, a recurring theme of our conversations was the importance of looking beyond the technical details to focus on people. Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) surveys are a handy tool for diagnosing mindsets but one of the experts takes it further with an in-depth people survey gauging engagement, transparency, instances of constructive feedback and signs that management is responsive to concerns. Understanding all these elements genuinely enhances overall organizational performance.

In closing, if you came to this article hoping for a definitive list of safety leading indicators, you may be feeling a little disappointed. What I hope you will take away is that while there isn’t a fix-all solution to creating an aligned safety culture, understanding the dynamic and ever-changing nature of workplace safety, and adapting your approach accordingly is the key to transformation. The desire to find a “silver bullet” is understandable but we have to recognize the complexity and uniqueness of each operational environment and act accordingly.

Many thanks to Isa, Stephanie, Steve, and Steve for your expert insights and let’s keep this conversation going! I welcome your thoughts and comments. Contact JMJ