An SMS needs a feedback loop! The data from that feedback loop needs to be VERIFIED and VALIDATED as accurate BEFORE it is used to make decisions within the SMS.
Just imagine driving your vehicle with NO FEEDBACK. No speedometer, no engine temp, no blinker feedback, no RPMs, NOTHING. You’re just driving, maybe relying on others around you to gauge your speed.
Far too many safety efforts have only ONE metric: OSHA recordables. These look backward; they indicate when the SMS has failed.
In 2026, management should be discussing LEADING INDICATORS to help them ensure the CONTROLS, BARRIERS, and SAFEGUARDS are functioning as intended, and risk is being managed at their “tolerable level”. If your organization has adopted SIF, this is a perfect time to establish metrics for SIF controls, such as LOTO, Fall Protection, PRCS, PITs, ESRWPs, etc. There are literally dozens of metrics that can be measured within these few programs… WE HAVE TO WANT to do safety right.
For example: measure LOTO “periodic inspections”; ensure every authorized employee is “inspected/audited” annually by their supervisor(s). The safety team/committee will also conduct LOTO audits as a baseline for comparison with supervisor audits.
It works something like this…
In 2025, Supervisors conducted 550 LOTO audits, with an average score of 93%. Pretty good number! However, the safety committee/safety team members conducted 135 LOTO audits in 2025, with an average score of 58%. SAME workforce, SAME machines, SAME inspection/audit form, audits performed the exact SAME way with a far different outcome. This is how we VALIDATE our Safety Data!
A 93% to 58% gap is too large for any organization, so we need to determine how and why it exists. This may entail conducting Observations while Supervisors perform their inspections; it may also require additional training, etc. The KEY here is NOT to accept numbers alone, as we can make leading indicators a numbers game, just like many do with injury metrics. There must be a quality initiative in ALL safety-related activities. We then have a PLAN to verify and validate that those numbers are REAL and ACCURATE. Then, with REAL and ACCURATE data, we can adjust activities to strengthen our CONTROLS, BARRIERS, and SAFEGUARDS.
Call it the CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT element of our SMS.