• Frank Xu
    5
    I'm the HSE Officer of a small business that is setting up our HSE system now, and the problem for me is I do not know how to set HSE metrics.

    Can anyone teach me?

    Thanks a lot!

  • Steve H
    308
    Hello Frank, what sort of business are you the HSE officer for? Manufacturing, Construction, Forestry, Office Based Sales/consulting etc etc and how many employees/sites?

    Have you had any formal H&S training?

    Here are some resources that might help.

    Health & Safety Indicators And Measures
    https://www.worksafe.govt.nz/the-toolshed/tools/writing-health-and-safety-documents-for-your-workplace/
  • Frank Xu
    5


    Hi Steve, thanks for your help, I'm working for a company related to the manufacturing and construction industries.

    I just have a very basic train about H&S, cause we just start our journey with H&S.

    I will read through all the resources you suggest to see what I can do.

    Thanks again.
  • KeithHAccepted Answer
    171
    Metrics are "measures of quantitative assessment commonly used for comparing, and tracking performance or production" (https://www.investopedia.com)

    To determine what metrics are necessary, an organisation should first decide the reasons for the metrics. The basic fundamentals here include what is the relevance of the metrics, how will the metrics be used, who are the metrics required by, who will collect the metrics and what are the metrics based upon. All these will vary from business to to business and industry to industry and are usually unique to each organisation.

    Sources for metrics can be KPIs, inspections, existing information, scientific research, and such like.

    So to set metrics, first decide what metrics are required after discussing with all affected stakeholders to determine where, when, why, who and how the metrics are related to each parties needs.
  • MattD2
    337
    So to set metrics, first decide what metrics are required after discussing with all affected stakeholders to determine where, when, why, who and how the metrics are related to each parties needs.KeithH
    completely agree with your comment Keith - with asking "what" / "why" being the most critical questions. The "what" being to understand where the organisation is currently (i.e. not jumping to what metrics are required):
    • what is currently working well, and why is it working well - to establish metrics to help maintain these aspects
    • what is not currently working well, what are the likely causes, and what could be done to change this - to help improve these aspects by establishing metrics to both confirm that planned actions are being done, and to verify that, if the planned actions are being done, they are having the intended/expected effect.
  • Jane
    92
    Something to understand is the difference between leading and lagging indicators.
    Leading indicators - what are you doing to prevent an incident/accident - proactive for future
    Lagging indicators - what has already gone badly - reactive for past events
    Here is an explainer https://ergo-plus.com/leading-lagging-indicators-safety-preformance/

    Health and Safety can be a very frustrating area - when it is working well, you are measuring an absence of bad stuff. Which means that you have to work quite hard to measure the presence of good stuff.

    You mentioned construction... @Chris Alderson
    https://www.chasnz.org/articles/chasnz-construction-leading-health-safety-and-well-being-indicators
    https://www.chasnz.org/wsnh/understand-your-trades-injury-data
  • Frank Xu
    5
    Thanks a lot to all of you, you really shared valuable and useful ideas with me.

    I will try to set up our metrics, after I finished, I will post them here to share with you.

    All the best! :strong:
  • Bruce Tollan
    32
    Unsafe acts
    Unsafe conditions
    Pretty much covers everything
  • Lesley Coubrough
    1
    Hi Frank, maybe have a look at the Business Leaders' Health and Safety Forum "Monitoring what matters" CEO Guide https://www.forum.org.nz/resources/monitor-what-matters/ . They provide some examples of indicators you might want to use
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