What are leading indicators in the context of incident investigations, and give examples.

• A. Number of hours worked without incident
• B. Profit margin
• C. Number of training sessions completed
• D. Number of near-misses, unsafe conditions found, hours between safety inspections

Answer: (D)

Leading indicators are proactive safety metrics that signal risk and guide preventive actions before harm occurs. They focus on what’s happening in the system to prevent incidents rather than just counting injuries after the fact. Near-misses capture events that nearly caused harm, revealing hazardous situations that need fixing. Unsafe conditions found point to latent risks in the workplace, and addressing them reduces the chance of future incidents. The cadence of safety inspections—the hours between inspections—reflects how actively safety is being managed; shorter gaps show a more vigilant program, while longer gaps can indicate reduced safety oversight. Together, these measures forecast safety performance and drive preventative improvements. Other options either measure outcomes after events or focus on activities that don’t directly reflect risk control, such as profit margin or generic training counts.