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    KPIKey Performance Indicator

    Definition

    Key Performance Indicator — a defined QHSE measure, with a formula, period, owner and target, used to track an objective such as injury rate or audit closure.

    Editorial definition: The QHSE Standard, updated 3 October 2026 · https://qhsetech.com/glossary/kpi

    Scope: Each KPI needs a written definition; rates calculated on different bases cannot be compared directly.

    Sources checked: . Examples are editorial illustrations.

    How OSHA, HSE and BLS describe performance measures

    In quality, health, safety and environmental work a key performance indicator, or KPI, is a defined measure that tracks progress against an objective. The sources opened for this page set no fixed list of KPIs, but they do describe how to think about them. OSHA separates lagging indicators, which measure past events such as the number or rate of injuries, illnesses and fatalities, from leading indicators, which it calls proactive and preventive measures showing whether safety activities are working before an incident occurs. Its page says a good programme uses leading indicators to drive change and lagging indicators to measure effectiveness, and that leading indicators are useful whatever stage a programme has reached.

    HSE's guidance on checking performance makes a similar split in other words. It describes preventive information, such as the progress of training and maintenance programmes, and incident data such as accident and sickness absence rates, and asks that appropriate weight is given to both in reports to the board. It lists areas worth measuring that include sickness absence and health trends, how well management structures and risk controls work, the effect of changes to procedures or products, and the performance of contractors. It also suggests benchmarking against others in the same sector.

    A rate needs a stated base. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics gives the incidence rate formula as the number of injuries and illnesses multiplied by 200,000 and divided by employee hours worked, and explains that 200,000 hours equals 100 full-time employees working 40 hours for 50 weeks. It adds that a firm's rate says more when compared with that of other employers doing similar work. Other schemes use other bases, so a figure should always travel with its definition. This page is general information; it does not set a target for any organisation.

    Sources opened :

    What a KPI record looks like in software

    • A definition sheet for each KPI: the objective it serves, the formula, the numerator and denominator, the unit and the exact rules for what counts.
    • A named owner, a data source and a collection frequency, so the figure can be reproduced.
    • A target and a tolerance range or alert threshold, with the date they were set and who approved them.
    • A history of values by period, site and team, with notes explaining any change in definition or data source.
    • A type marker that separates measures of past outcomes from measures of preventive activity.
    • A comparison basis, such as an industry rate, a prior year or a sister site, with the source and year of that benchmark.
    • A link from each KPI to the actions raised when it moves outside its range.

    KPI, metric, target and indicator

    A metric is any measured value. A KPI is a metric chosen because it tracks an objective that matters to the organisation, and it carries an owner and a definition. A target is the level the KPI is meant to reach, and an indicator is a measure used as a sign of something that cannot be seen directly. In QHSE practice the words are often used loosely, so a dashboard of numbers is not a set of KPIs until each one is tied to an objective and a decision.

    A hypothetical example: an outcome measure and a preventive measure

    This case is invented to illustrate the record and describes no real company. A plant records 6 injuries over 480,000 hours worked in a year. Using the 200,000-hour base, its incidence rate is 6 times 200,000 divided by 480,000, which is 2.5. One more injury would give 2.9, so a single event moves the rate by about 0.4, which is a reason to read small-site rates with care and to state the period and the hours.

    The plant also tracks the share of corrective actions closed by their due date: 38 of 50, or 76 per cent. The KPI sheet notes that closing quickly can mean closing shallowly, so each month a supervisor checks a sample of closed actions for evidence that the fix works, and the review reports the on-time share beside the result of that check. No bonus is tied to the injury rate.

    Common misunderstandings about KPIs

    • A low injury rate does not by itself show that hazards are controlled. OSHA's page pairs outcome measures with preventive ones.
    • A KPI is not a target. The measure and the level it should reach are set and reviewed separately.
    • Rates depend on their base. The BLS formula uses 200,000 hours, and a figure on another base cannot be compared without conversion.
    • A benchmark has a comparison group. BLS and HSE both point to employers or sectors doing similar work, not to any average.
    • Tying rewards to a low reported rate can discourage reporting. OSHA permits such programmes only where they are not implemented in that way, and the same effect weakens the data.

    How a KPI relates to other glossary terms

    KPIs gather the indicator types and rate definitions used elsewhere in the glossary.

    • Leading indicator: a measure of preventive activity that looks ahead of incidents.
    • Lagging indicator: a measure of past outcomes such as injuries and illnesses.
    • TRIR: a common injury-rate KPI built on the 200,000-hour base.
    • Management review: the periodic meeting where KPI results are considered and decisions recorded.

    Records and evidence that usually exist for a KPI

    • The KPI definition sheet, with its approval date and any later changes.
    • Source data, hours worked and calculation files that reproduce the figure.
    • Period results by site and team, with commentary on changes.
    • The benchmark used, with its source, year and comparison group.
    • Actions raised when a threshold was crossed, with outcomes.
    • Management review records showing how the KPI informed a decision.
    • Records of any change to the definition, with the date and, where possible, an earlier value restated on the new basis.

    What a software tool needs to capture for KPIs

    • Formula, numerator, denominator and counting rules held as versioned data, not only in a chart.
    • Hours worked or another exposure base stored with each period and site.
    • A marker separating outcome measures from preventive-activity measures.
    • Targets, thresholds and alerts with owners and approval dates.
    • Drill-down from a figure to the underlying records, so a reviewer can test it.
    • A note field for changes in definition, so a trend is not read across a break.
    • A comparison view that shows the same KPI against its target, its prior period and its benchmark.

    Catalog profiles documenting incident recording and reporting

    The list comes from the incident recording rule used by the incident platform comparison. It does not show that a product calculates any particular rate or KPI, which should be tested with your own definitions.

    Same rule for every product: tagged “Incident Management” or “Incident Reporting”, with a sourced incident reporting or management capability in its record, or one the vendor stated to us, labelled as vendor-stated. Documented and conditional capabilities qualify; check the linked scope before treating a module as included.

    Tekmon pays for a sponsored placement (above); its place in this list follows the same rule as every entry. How lists are ordered

    All 55 matching profiles are shown. Documentation review, not hands-on testing or a claim of compliance.

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    Frequently asked questions

    What is the difference between a KPI and a metric?

    A metric is any measured value. A KPI is a metric chosen because it tracks an objective, with a definition, an owner and a target or threshold that triggers a decision.

    How many KPIs should a QHSE team track?

    The sources opened here give no number. Choose measures that map to your objectives and decisions, and drop any that nobody acts on.

    Which KPI should I start with?

    OSHA says leading indicators are useful at any stage of a programme. A common starting point is one preventive measure tied to a known hazard, plus an injury rate on a stated base for comparison.

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