Statistics and Records for COR®: Measuring Performance in Occupational Health and Safety Management

A strong occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) is one that is monitored to understand how OHS is performing. Statistics and records play a vital role in identifying trends, preventing incidents, and ensuring continual improvement in workplace health and safety.

For organizations aiming to meet COR® 2020 standards, Element 12 (Statistics and Records) is a critical component that ensures companies are not only tracking health and safety performance but actively using this data to improve outcomes.

Statistics and Records: Why it Matters in Health and Safety Management

By systematically tracking leading and lagging indicators, organizations gain insight into the effectiveness of the OHSMS. 

• Leading indicators measure proactive efforts to prevent incidents. Examples include the number of workplace inspections completed, near-miss reports, participation in health and safety training, corrective actions taken, plus more. 

• Lagging indicators reflect past health and safety performance, including lost-time injuries, workers’ compensation claims, and the frequency and severity of workplace incidents.

A balance of both leading and lagging indicators provides a clear picture of an organization’s overall health and safety performance.

What Should Be Measured?

Each organization must determine what health and safety performance metrics to track based on its industry, risks, and regulatory requirements.

Common examples include:

• Workplace inspections
  Are inspections being conducted regularly? Are corrective actions being taken?
• Training completion rates
  Are employees receiving required health and safety training on time?
• Near-miss reporting
  Are employees actively identifying and reporting hazards before an incident occurs?
• Lost-time injury frequency and severity
  How often are employees experiencing injuries that require time off?
• First-aid injuries
  What types of injuries are being treated on-site? Could these incidents have been prevented?

This data is invaluable for assessing health and safety performance and identifying trends that may require additional attention.

Read our article about the Severity-Based Lagging Indicator. 

Analyzing Statistics and Records

Collecting health and safety data is only the first step. The true value comes from analyzing and using it to improve health and safety outcomes. COR® certified companies:

• Compare current performance to past results to identify trends.
• Investigate spikes in incidents or near misses to determine root causes.
• Benchmark against industry data, such as from the WSIB’s Health and Safety Check, to compare performance against industry standards.

For example, if a company compares the training completion rate for its workforce against previous years, it could indicate whether measures to ensure workers receive training are adequate or need to be revised to improve completion rates.

Communicating Health and Safety Performance

Workplace health and safety data shouldn’t sit in a report—organizations should communicate these statistics to engage workers in the OHSMS.

Ways COR® Companies Communicate Health and Safety Performance:

• Management meetings
  Reviewing trends and making data-driven health and safety decisions.
• Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) discussions
  Using data to drive health and safety initiatives and corrective actions.
• Workplace health and safety boards and newsletters
  Sharing key statistics and successes with employees.
• Tailgate talks and toolbox meetings
  Ensuring field staff are aware of health and safety trends and corrective measures.

Describing the process your company will follow for collecting, analyzing, and communicating statistics and records is an important part of an OHSMS and is essential for achieving and maintaining COR® certification.