What it means
A leading indicator tracks the work that prevents injuries. Inspections completed, hazards closed out, safety observations, near misses reported, training finished and toolbox talks held are all leading.
They move before the injury numbers do, so you can act on them. They're only worth tracking if they mean something. A count of talks held tells you nothing about whether the crew listened.
Pick a few that your crew can affect, and review them on a short cycle, weekly or monthly.
Why it matters
You can't change last year's injury count. You can change how many hazards sit open this week. Leading indicators give the lead something to fix before a recordable happens.
What it looks like on a site
- The lead tracks open hazards and how long each one has been open.
- The crew's pre-use checks are counted, and a skipped check gets a follow-up.
- Near-miss reports are counted, and a rise is read as people speaking up.
- Overdue corrective actions are listed by owner at the weekly meeting.
- The lead drops a measure that gets gamed or ignored and picks a better one.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current rule and your own procedures. Back to the glossary