📖 Introduction
You cannot improve what you cannot measure.
In health and safety, performance measurement helps an organisation understand
whether policies and procedures are working as intended.
By measuring performance, employers can identify weaknesses, ensure compliance, and continuously improve safety.
This lecture explains active and reactive monitoring, audits, and reviews as key elements
of measuring health and safety performance.
🎯 Learning Outcomes
- Differentiate between active and reactive monitoring
- Understand the role of audits and reviews
- Explain why measuring performance is essential
- Identify common methods of safety performance monitoring
📊 Why Measure Performance?
Measuring performance provides answers to critical questions:
- Are policies and procedures being followed?
- Are risk controls effective?
- Are objectives being met?
- What improvements are needed?
👉 Without measurement, organisations rely on assumptions, which can lead to accidents and legal non-compliance.
🔍 Active Monitoring
Active monitoring is about checking performance before something goes wrong.
It focuses on leading indicators – things that show the system is working.
Examples of Active Monitoring:
- Routine inspections of workplace conditions
- Observation of work practices
- Health surveillance and monitoring
- Checking training completion rates
- Compliance audits
⚠️ Reactive Monitoring
Reactive monitoring occurs after an incident has happened.
It deals with lagging indicators such as accidents, near-misses, and ill health.
Examples of Reactive Monitoring:
- Accident reports and investigations
- Analysis of sickness and absenteeism records
- Near-miss reporting systems
- Compensation and insurance claims
📋 Audits and Reviews
Audits and reviews check whether the system itself is effective, not just whether incidents are happening.
They provide a systematic, independent examination of health and safety arrangements.
Audits:
- Structured, independent, and systematic check of policies and practices
- Often conducted by internal or external specialists
- Identifies gaps between policy and practice
Reviews:
- Formal assessment of the overall management system
- Usually carried out by senior management
- Focuses on long-term strategy and continuous improvement
🏢 Example Case
A logistics company reduced forklift accidents by 40% after introducing regular inspections (active monitoring)
and analysing near-miss reports (reactive monitoring). Combining both methods provided a clear picture of safety performance.
📝 Mini Quiz (Self-Check)
- What is the difference between active and reactive monitoring?
- Give three examples of active monitoring methods.
- Why are audits and reviews important in safety management?
🔑 Summary
- Measuring performance ensures safety systems are effective.
- Active monitoring prevents incidents by checking conditions in advance.
- Reactive monitoring analyses accidents and near-misses after they occur.
- Audits and reviews provide a deeper evaluation of system effectiveness.
🚀 What’s Next in IG1
Lecture 8: Investigating Incidents
We will explore why incidents must be investigated, the steps involved, and how lessons learned prevent recurrence.