The update is relevant not only because it provides a common framework for measuring process safety performance, but also because it reinforces a distinction that deserves greater attention across our industry: the difference between measuring past outcomes and identifying emerging risks.
This raises a simple question:
Are we measuring safety, or are we measuring accidents?
A facility can go months, sometimes years, without experiencing a major process safety event. That is certainly positive. However, the absence of an incident does not necessarily mean that risk is decreasing.
Equipment continues to age. Corrosion progresses. Inspection recommendations accumulate. Safety-critical maintenance may be deferred. Operating conditions evolve. Temporary repairs remain in service longer than intended. Inspection intervals are extended. Small deviations gradually become normalized.
Individually, none of these conditions will necessarily lead to an incident. Collectively, however, they may reveal important information about the health of the barriers designed to prevent one.
Looking backward is necessary. Looking forward is critical.
We are very good at measuring outcomes:
How many leaks occurred?
How many equipment failures?
How many unplanned shutdowns?
How many incidents?
Today, we can capture more information about industrial assets than ever before. Yet, data alone has little value unless it leads to better decisions. Data creates visibility, visibility enables action, and action delivers results.
One of the most important lessons behind the leading-indicator concept is that safety performance should not be understood solely through the events that occur. We should also ask whether the systems designed to prevent those events are becoming stronger or weaker.
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