OSHA To Hold Roundtable On Benefit Of Using Leading Indicators In Injury Tracking

Registration is open for an upcoming OSHA meeting on the benefits of using leading indicators in addition to lagging indicators for the tracking of workplace injuries. The agency notes that while many employers track their injury or illness rates using lagging indicators, such information does not reveal hazards until after an injury or illness occurs. Instead, OSHA wants to discuss whether employers should also consider using leading indicators, which it describes as including proactive, preventive, and predictive measures.

At this meeting, OSHA is seeking responses, supported by case studies, real-world examples, and other data, to the following questions:

• To what extent are leading indicators used in your workplace?
• Do you use leading indicators as a preventative tool for fixing workplace hazards, or as a tool for improving performance of your safety and health program?
• What leading indicators are most important in your workplace? Why were these indicators chosen?
• How do you determine the effectiveness of your leading indicators? How do you track your leading indicators?
• What leading indicators are, or could be, commonly used in your industry?
• What challenges, if any, have you encountered using leading indicators?
• How many employees are at your facility, and how many are involved in tracking leading indicators?
• How has the use of leading indicators changed the way you manage your safety and health program or other business operations?
• What should OSHA do to encourage employers to use leading indicators in addition to lagging indicators to improve safety management?

Notice of Stakeholder Meeting on Leading Indicators, 84 Fed. Reg. 51639 (Sept. 30, 2019).

The meeting will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET on November 7, 2019, and will take place in Conference Room N-4437 at the U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210. The deadline for registering to attend the meeting is October 30, 2019.

Registration will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and you can register online at: https://projects.erg.com/conferences/osha/register-osha-leadingindicators.htm. The public is also invited to submit comments and attachments electronically at http://www.regulations.gov. Search for Docket No. OSHA-2019-0005, and follow the instructions for making electronic submissions.