Taxonometric model for using leading safety indicators in the construction industry

Traditionally, safety performance has been measured by metrics such as the OSHA recordable injury rate; days away, restricted work, or transfer injury rate; or the experience modification rating. Traditional metrics that provide historical information about the measures of safety performance are classified as lagging indicators. However, are these lagging safety metrics accurate predictors of future safety performance? In contrast, leading indicators are measures which are not necessarily historical in nature but rather can be used as predictors of future levels of safety performance. Leading indicators measure the building blocks of the safety culture of a project or company. When one or more of these measures suggest that some aspect of the safety process is weakening, interventions can be implemented prior to an incident, positively impacting the safety process before any injuries or suffering are sustained. This study identified the use and characteristics of leading indicators as well as evaluated the measures based on their impact on safety performance. To explore these questions, the investigator utilized two questionnaires regarding leading indicator practices as well as examined lagging safety measures from construction projects. The construction projects examined for this study were affiliated with several categories of members of the Construction Industry Institute (CII) including contractors, owners, insurance, and suppliers groups. The findings of the research regarding passive leading indicators show that safety performance improved as more safety policies/programs/practices were implemented. In the case of active leading indicators, the research showed that the assessment of the direct effectiveness of these programs are more difficult to measure. Through the creation of an analytical taxonomy of active leading indicators, the findings reveal that active leading indicators are affected by variables such as communication, leadership, and management. This taxonomy could be used by construction companies to better design and implement more effective safety programs. It is recommended that this taxonomy should be further examined in future research. Based on the greater understanding of the nature of leading indicators derived in this research, it is also recommended that the terms "passive" and "active" be respectively changed to "consistent" and "dynamic" to more accurately characterize them in practice.