Episode 148 lays the foundation for the entire safety‑metrics mini‑series. Dr. Ayers explains why organizations must periodically step back and evaluate whether their safety metrics still reflect reality, still drive improvement, and still align with the work being done in the field.
This episode is about resetting the mindset around measurement before diving into the details in later episodes.
Safety metrics are not permanent. They must be challenged, validated, and refreshed to ensure they continue to measure what matters.
Dr. Ayers highlights that:
Work processes evolve
Hazards shift
Organizational priorities change
Data collection habits degrade
Yet many companies keep using the same metrics year after year without questioning them.
Legacy metrics:
Persist simply because “we’ve always tracked them”
No longer influence decisions
Don’t reflect current risks
Create a false sense of security
This episode stresses that old metrics can actively mislead leaders.
Dr. Ayers encourages leaders to ask:
What is this metric supposed to tell us?
Is the data accurate and consistently collected?
Does this metric change behavior?
Is this metric still relevant to today’s work?
If the answer is “no,” the metric needs to be revised or removed.
The episode emphasizes:
Leading indicators reveal system health
They show whether controls are functioning
They drive proactive action
They must be tailored to the work, not copied from corporate templates
Reassessment is incomplete without evaluating whether leading indicators are meaningful.
Dr. Ayers stresses that metrics are tools for:
Coaching
Engagement
Learning
Identifying weak signals
When metrics become a scoreboard, they lose their value.
Reassessing safety metrics is a strategic leadership activity, not an administrative task. Leaders must routinely challenge their metrics to ensure they reflect real work, drive the right behaviors, and support continuous improvement.
