We are doing “Comms cells” at our organisation: essentially these are a cross between a dashboard and table top meeting ie team leaders get together and stand in front a dashboard type set of display and talk about various metrics for 15 minutes. What I need is something that we can use to talk about H&S issues. Currently they use a ‘Safety Cross’ but I think that this is a bit weak as for one thing most teams have very few accidents and those that they have are rather trivial in the scale of things and of course incidents/accidents/near misses is a following indicator rather than a leading indicator. I would like someone to point me in the direction of something we can use as a useful indicator of how H&S is going. It has to be something that is quickly and understandable. Any suggestions?

I have never used a dashboard system to project information in a visually stimulating way, so I might have got hold of the wrong end of the stick! Speedometer: Represent the number of serious risks identified by assessments that have been successfully eliminated. If this would produce a constant zero on the Speedo then you could use number of ‘significant’ risks with effective control measures applied shown and verified. Rev Counter: Number of serious risks that have been identified by assessments. Brake Warning Lights: Displays automatically when the number of adequately trained managers and supervisors is reduced or training needs revision. (Once all in position have been adequately trained) Oil Gauge: Results of worker and manager climate surveys that can be analysed to show increases/decreases in respondents saying that h&s standards are better or worse. Fuel Gauge: Level of financial resources applied to health and safety represented as a percentage of turnover. Milometer: No of days since last recorded injury or sickness absence through occupational ill-health Seat Belt Sign: Displays number of breaches in PPE policy Door Open: Displays estimated number of incidents not closed out Battery Charge: Display number of trained worker representatives: increase/decrease since last look at the dashboard. Hazard Warning Lights: Displays next date of CEO/HSE visits to the workplace and frequently flashes Headlight indicator: Off – board/owner conducts no h&s reviews or monitoring or shows any sign of interest On – board/owner monitors h&s within organisation Full beam - board/owner fully involved with h&s as a strategic business issue Good luck. Nigel