Even given the high rates of incidents, many organisations continue to concentrate on looking backwards, by tracking safety incidents and then trying to identify and fix the cause. Lag indicators (reactive measures) are used to retrospectively investigate and review safety incidents.
And, while most organisations rely on lag indicators to support their safety strategies, high reliability organisations are hard at work creating positive safety cultures and climates.
These organisations understand the importance of complimenting the safety vision with a measurement and review of employee feelings, attitudes, leadership styles, and engagement in the safety process. Measuring these lead indicators (proactive measures) of safety generates a more forward looking and holistic approach to safety management and improving safety culture and climate.