Tracking lost time accidents is an excellent metric to assess process safety effectiveness.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not a good metric
• D. Only in combination with other metrics

Answer: (B)

Process safety performance should be judged by how well hazard controls prevent high-consequence events, not by injuries alone. Lost-time accidents are a lagging, personal-safety metric that reflects harm after it happens and can be heavily influenced by exposure, workforce size, and reporting culture. They don’t directly show how effectively risk is being identified or mitigated, and they miss near-misses and smaller incidents that can indicate weaknesses in barriers or processes. Because of that, relying on this metric alone gives an incomplete view of process safety performance. A solid assessment uses a mix of leading indicators (such as management of change quality, mechanical integrity effectiveness, and near-miss reporting) and process-safety–specific lagging indicators to provide a more accurate picture.