For decades, most safety programs measured success by counting failures: injuries, illnesses, fatalities. These lagging indicators tell you what went wrong but offer no insight into what will go wrong next. Leading indicators measure the proactive activities that prevent incidents before they occur. The most effective safety programs track both, using lagging indicators to confirm outcomes and leading indicators to drive improvement. This guide explains each type, recommends specific metrics, and shows how EHS software dashboards make them actionable.
The Problem with Lagging-Only Programs
Lagging Indicators: Measuring Outcomes
Lagging indicators count events that have already occurred. They are essential for benchmarking, regulatory compliance, and understanding long-term trends, but they cannot predict or prevent future incidents.
Core Lagging Indicators
- TRIR (Total Recordable Incident Rate) - All OSHA recordable incidents per 100 workers. The broadest measure of incident frequency. Use our TRIR Calculator
- DART Rate - Recordable incidents resulting in days away, restriction, or transfer. Measures more serious outcomes. Use our DART Calculator
- Severity Rate - Lost workdays per 100 workers. Measures the impact of incidents, not just frequency. Use our Severity Rate Calculator
- Workers' compensation costs - Direct and indirect costs of workplace injuries. Use our Injury Cost Calculator
- Lost workdays - Total calendar days employees were away from work due to injury or illness
- Fatality count - Number of work-related deaths (always zero is the target)
Leading Indicators: Measuring Activities
Leading indicators measure the proactive safety activities that prevent incidents. When leading indicator performance improves, lagging indicators typically follow within 6-12 months.
Near Miss and Hazard Reporting Metrics
- Near miss reports per month - Total volume of near miss and hazard reports. Increasing rates indicate a healthier reporting culture
- Near-miss-to-injury ratio - A ratio of 10:1 or higher suggests most events are being captured before they cause harm
- Average time from event to report - Measures how quickly incidents are reported. Target: same shift
- Reporting rate by department - Identifies areas with under-reporting (low rates may signal culture problems, not safety success)
Inspection and Observation Metrics
- Inspection completion rate - Percentage of scheduled inspections completed on time. Target: 95%+
- Hazards identified per inspection - Measures inspection thoroughness (declining rates may indicate complacency)
- Safety observation rate - Number of formal safety observations conducted per supervisor per month
- Critical findings closure rate - Percentage of high-priority hazards corrected within the required timeframe
Training and Competency Metrics
- Training compliance rate - Percentage of required training courses completed on time. Target: 100%
- Overdue training count - Number of employees with expired or overdue certifications
- New hire orientation completion - Time from hire date to safety orientation completion
Corrective Action Metrics
- Corrective action closure rate - Percentage of assigned corrective actions completed by due date. Target: 90%+
- Average time to close - Days from corrective action assignment to verified completion
- Overdue corrective actions - Count of open actions past their due date (a critical management attention metric)
- Repeat findings rate - How often the same hazard is identified again after corrective action. High repeat rates indicate ineffective fixes
Building a Balanced Metrics Dashboard
Selecting the Right Leading Indicators
Start with Your Biggest Risks
Not every leading indicator matters equally at every organization. Select indicators tied to your top hazards and injury types:
- High fall risk? Track fall protection inspection completion, harness training compliance, fall hazard observations
- Chemical exposure risk? Track industrial hygiene sampling completion, SDS accessibility audits, PPE compliance observations
- Vehicle incidents? Track driver training compliance, vehicle inspection completion, speeding/telematics alerts
- Ergonomic injuries? Track workstation assessments completed, job rotation compliance, ergonomic observation rates
Ecesis EHS Software
Incident Management
Auto-calculate TRIR, DART, Severity Rate and track near miss reporting trends.
Safety Inspections
Track inspection completion rates, findings, and hazard closure metrics.
Employee Training
Monitor training compliance and overdue certifications in real time.
Task Management
Measure corrective action closure rates and average time to close.
EHS Dashboards
Display leading and lagging indicators side by side with 12-month trends.
Mobile EHS App
Drive leading indicator data with mobile inspections and incident reporting.
