The way many leaders measure safety program effectiveness is changing. 

Although total recordable incident rate (TRIR) has been used for nearly 50 years, organizations are starting to recognize the limitations of incident rates and other failure metrics. ANSI/ASSP Z16.1, a voluntary consensus standard, offers safety professionals a better way to measure and communicate results.

Developed by the ANSI/ASSP Z16 Committee on Safety and Health Metrics and Performance Measures, the standard addresses leading, lagging and impact safety metrics. It calls for practitioners to develop sets of these three metrics for the two parts of the standard: risk management and management systems improvement. 

What’s Wrong with How We Measure Safety Now?

Although TRIR remains one of the most common measures of safety performance in the U.S., research indicates its results are too random to be statistically significant, particularly when benchmarking a safety program.

• Lagging incident rates don’t measure how well a safety program functions.
• OSHA’s recordkeeping standard, on which many safety programs are based, was not intended to measure progress. It was created to track information and enforcement.
• Current metrics are isolated from business operations and don’t provide information on the value of a company’s investment in safety.

Why Is ANSI/ASSP Z16.1 a Game Changer?

The Z16 standard addresses many of the issues safety professionals and their organizations face when creating clear and compelling metrics that indicate the real value of workplace safety programs. Here’s why:

• Z16 carries the credibility of the consensus standard process. A committee of relevant subject matter experts and key stakeholders, balanced so it doesn’t favor one perspective, came together to write the standard, then completed a well-regarded consensus process to publish the document. Unlike OSHA regulations, consensus standards must be regularly reviewed and revised every five years.
• The standard contains clear definitions and outlines iterative processes.
• It highlights the business outcomes of safety and health programs and processes through the impact metric.
• It underscores the importance of a balanced approach.

How Does Z16 Define Metrics?

A metric is a quantifiable measure that an organization uses to track and assess the status of a specific process, compared to a single-focus indicator that documents an individual tally of a completed activity. The Z16 standard’s use of lagging and leading metrics in alignment with the new impact metrics is one feature that makes the standard so useful.

The impact metrics described in Z16 demonstrates how safety and health-related programs, policies and activities affect an organization. They answer these questions: How does the investment made in these programs benefit the organization? What happens when we are successful?

What Is the Balanced Metrics Approach?

The Z16 balanced metrics approach considers the interrelationship between risk reduction and the continual improvement of the management system. Safety professionals must include:

• One balanced set risk management metrics and one set safety and health management system improvement metric and ideally, they should be interrelated.
• Leading, lagging and impact metrics that provide an understanding of inputs, outputs, outcomes and their organizational impact.

To develop the proper metrics, follow this step-by-step process:  

 1. Define what you want to do with risk management.

• Risk assessments: High severity/likelihood, greatest loss potential
• Loss analyses: Inspections, incidents, audits, workers’ compensation information provided by insurance company
• Hazard/control evaluations: nonconformities, low-level controls used 

2. Develop risk reduction metrics. Select leading, lagging and impact metrics by following these three steps:

• Determine what you’re trying to achieve as a result of this particular metric (lagging).
• Assess how you can influence the results (leading).
• Consider the anticipated effect on organizational strategy (impact). 

Table 1 in the standard shares some risk management elements and attributes and explains how to tie them to the right metrics. 

3. Define how you want to improve your management system. To achieve the balanced approach, make sure the risk reduction metrics align with the management system metrics. Look for management system elements that would be affected by or balanced with the success of your risk management metrics. 

To find these elements:

• Conduct a gap analysis of safety and health management system elements, such as leadership, support, monitoring and continual improvement.
• Compare the identified gaps to your organization’s strategic objectives or industry benchmarking  

Table 2 in the standard shares some of these elements and attributes and explains how to tie them to the right metrics. 

4. Develop risk reduction metrics. Select leading, lagging and impact metrics by following these three steps:

• Determine what you’re trying to achieve as a result of this particular metric (lagging).
• Assess how you can influence the results (leading).
• Consider the anticipated effect on organizational strategy (impact).

How Do I Get Started with Z16?

• Purchase the standard.
• Form a transition team. Make sure all levels and groups are represented organization-wide.
• Plan for the transition by emphasizing new approaches. Because organizations have used TRIR for so long, simply taking it away may cause credibility issues and confusion.
• Develop consensus on the top five risks. Using that list, set priorities for reducing those risks with this new process, then conduct a management system gap analysis.
• Take baby steps. Start with a pilot program, then ask the transition team to assess what worked, what didn’t and ways to make the next program more comprehensive.