Tracking Safety Leading Indicators to Improve DOT Employee Safety Performance

Lagging indicators in occupational safety and health are required reporting figures that provide an industry-standard metric to measure the number of employees injured annually or impacted by a recordable injury. Recognizing the weaknesses of traditional lagging indicators to proactively manage occupational safety, many organizations and industries have emphasized safety leading indicators; that is, metrics to identify safety-related activities to consider before an incident occurs. NCHRP Synthesis 637: Tracking Safety Leading Indicators to Improve DOT Employee Safety Performance, from TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program, explores issues related to safety leading indicator practices used by state departments of transportation (DOTs) to track and prevent occupational injuries and other incidents. The synthesis also includes findings from a survey related to safety leading indicators of practices used by state DOTs.