Leading OHS indicators

The eight-item IWH-OPM is adopted in several provinces as a measure of health and safety performance in workplaces

Published: August 2015

Workplaces and jurisdictions are looking for valid, reliable and practical indicators of occupational health and safety (OHS) performance. In light of this, OHS professionals from prevention system partners in Ontario, in collaboration with the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), developed a leading indicator known as the IWH Organizational Performance Metric (IWH-OPM). Prior testing of the eight-item IWH-OPM suggests it has acceptable internal consistency and structural validity, and is also predictive of future OHS performance (as measured by claims rates). In this plenary, Dr. Basak Yanar, a researcher and lecturer in organizational behaviour at the University of Windsor, reports on a further qualitative study of the IWH-OPM that contributes to the ongoing analysis of its measurement properties. The construct validity of the IWH-OPM was examined through case studies in five organizations, comparing the item and scale scores with observational and interview data on OHS performance. Results indicate good construct validity; that is, organizations that scored high on the scale also had the best OHS practices compared to those that scored lower on the scale.

Published: April 2015

An OHS research project aims to make leading indicator information a key part of decision-making through the development of two new technological tools: an app and a dashboard.

Published: Every Worker, March 2015

Brookfield Johnson Controls turns to the IWH-OPM after deciding to shift focus away from lagging indicators.

Published: December 2014

The IWH-OPM, developed as part of the Institute’s leading indicators research, found to predict future claims rates in a sample of Ontario firms

Published: August 2014

Real estate services company shares story of how it puts leading indicators to use

Published: August 2014

Institute expertise tapped to evaluate agency's safety perception tool--and to provide a better alternative.

Published: June 2014

With help from 1,800 Ontario employers, IWH team probes workplace factors for link to future claims

Published: November 2013

Leading indicators have the potential to help identify factors affecting the risk of injury, allowing workplaces to address these factors before injuries occur. This Issue Briefing looks at efforts to date to identify OHS leading indicators and the challenges involved.

Published: October 2013

Institute of Work & Health’s Organizational Performance Metric chosen after study shows firms’ scores on eight-item questionnaire correlate with claims rates

Published: July 2013