Top Safety KPIs to Track - Essential Indicators Every Team Should Know

In this blog post, we'll explore four safety KPIs that can help you move from reactive to proactive monitoring of occupational safety and health (OSH). We'll also discuss the benefits of using AI safety software to collect meaningful and accurate safety metrics. 

What are Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)?

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are measurable values, used to monitor progress on specific business objectives. In the context of safety management, KPIs help track critical safety outcomes and ensure safety compliance within various industries.

KPIs are often described against headcount, for example as a number of events per 100,000 people, or against working hours, for example per one million hours worked. This makes KPIs comparable between different organizations or parts of the same organization over time. 

Tracking safety metrics with indicators for safety compliance and performance

A survey of over 600 safety specialists found that the most measured safety KPI is reported accidents and injuries. This is a reactive or lagging measure - it only tells you when things have already gone wrong. 

It’s the most common KPI because with conventional approaches it’s the easiest to measure. Artificial intelligence, and in particular computer vision monitoring of CCTV, makes it practical to have more proactive, leading KPIs – measures that help you prevent accidents and injuries in the first place. 

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4 safety KPIs enhanced by AI systems for proactive monitoring

Incorporating AI systems into safety management transforms how organizations monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), shifting from reactive to proactive approaches. AI safety technology enhances the accuracy, relevance, and timeliness of these safety metrics. 

This proactive stance helps prevent incidents before they occur and supports continuous improvement in safety compliance and performance.

Below are four safety KPIs that will help you move from reactive to proactive monitoring of occupational safety and health (OSH).

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1. Computer vision to support audits and inspections

The second most common KPI in the survey was scores from audits and safety inspections. Because audits are labor intensive, organizations tend to use them infrequently - perhaps once or twice a year. 

Inspections might be required more often, but can result in a tick box exercise – a process to get out of the way on Friday afternoon before you go home. CV can monitor some items that audits and inspections would look at, but more accurately and in real-time, every day of the year. 

Implementing CV as part of your AI workplace safety software suite can significantly enhance your organization's safety performance.

For example, CV can be configured to identify obstacles in walkways or doors left open, addressing potential workplace hazards immediately. When you do an annual audit, you can compare the data from CV to assess the accuracy of the auditing process, ensuring that the safety protocols are being followed with consistency.

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2. Near misses

Counting near misses was the next most popular form of KPI. Near miss schemes rely on people to identify and then report things which might have resulted in an accident or injury, but didn’t. 

This could include a pedestrian walking in front of a fork lift truck (FLT) causing the driver to brake sharply to avoid hitting them, causing a load to be dropped. If the load is damaged, the near miss might get reported – but how many times did pedestrians walk in front of vehicles without damage? 

Most people won’t repeatedly report the same near miss. As an integral part of modern AI workplace safety software, computer vision can provide consistent and objective near miss reporting. 

As well as providing a more accurate KPI, it provides better information for fixing the problem, such as with improved signage or altered routes, which are vital components of effective safety strategies.

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3. Safe behaviors

Counting near misses – like the sharply braking FLT in the example above – gets you closer to a preventative approach than just counting accidents, but the near miss can still damage productivity. 

Well-written safe operating procedures and method statements describe the steps that are needed to achieve a task safely, without an accident. 

These procedures are an integral part of a strong behavioral safety culture, which focuses on modifying behaviors to prevent incidents. If you can identify critical points in these steps, you can measure these as an early indicator of safe operations. 

For example, a procedure describes what tools should be used, what PPE should be worn and where an activity should be carried out. Computer vision could report how often the correct PPE is being worn in the location required, and QR codes linked to a job management system could report on the tools being used. 

This would provide a leading KPI, indicating measurable deviations from the procedure. 

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4. Training effectiveness

A smaller but still substantial number of organizations use the number of employees receiving safety training as a KPI. While training is essential for occupational health, attending a training course doesn’t prove someone will apply their learning on the job. A training KPI could be supported by CV. 

For example, from observation a safety manager notices some workers over-reach rather than move. Movement ranges are defined, and CV is used to count how often workers over-reach, providing essential data for a safety assessment. 

If the problem is widespread, training is provided. After the training, the over -reaching reduces on the day shift, but not on the night shift. 

Discussion with the workers identifies that the day-supervisor is supporting the new way of working, while the night-supervisor is still emphasizing speed over caution. The CV provides the information you need to make the training more effective.

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KPI caution

It has been said that “what gets measured gets done”, but it is also true that poorly set KPIs have unintended consequences, such as pointless activities or under-reporting of incidents to achieve the right numbers, without making the workplace any safer or healthier. 

The good news is that AI safety solutions like computer vision now make it more practical to collect meaningful and accurate KPIs that will support a proactive approach to OHS.

As AI continues transforming the workplace, integrating these advanced tools into your safety programs becomes increasingly essential for maintaining a safe and compliant work environment.

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