Which of the following is a leading process safety metric?

• A. Number of days since last incident.
• B. Hours of safety training completed.
• C. Total number of equipment failures.
• D. Number of environmental permit violations.

Answer: (B)

Leading process safety metrics are proactive measures you can influence to reduce risk, not just outcomes of past events. Measuring hours of safety training completed fits this, because increasing training directly enhances workers’ ability to recognize hazards, follow procedures, and perform tasks more safely. It’s something you can actively improve, and it’s tied to reducing the likelihood of incidents, making it a timely predictor of safer operations. The other options focus on what has already happened: days since the last incident reflects past performance (and can be deceptive if reporting is incomplete), the total number of equipment failures shows past failures rather than preventive actions, and environmental permit violations track past compliance issues. So training hours is the clear leading indicator among these choices.