Can a simple tool be developed that will predict a firm’s workplace injury experience based on an assessment of its health and safety policies and practices? This was the question that a team of partners within Ontario’s occupational health and safety (OHS) system set out to answer, and it looks like the answer is “yes.”
The team developed an eight-item questionnaire that was then administered to over 800 workplaces. One respondent in each workplace was asked to assess the degree to which their organization adhered to optimal occupational health and safety policies and practices. Respondents’ answers were scored and matched to their organization’s injury rates over the previous three-plus years.
Workplaces where respondents reported higher scores had lower injury claim rates. This report outlines the team's work developing and testing these potential leading indicators.