What does evaluating a safety program by accident rates tend to focus on?

Evaluating a safety program by accident rates primarily serves to identify failures within the program. Accident rates provide a quantitative measure of how often incidents occur, which can reveal weaknesses in safety procedures, training, equipment maintenance, or employee compliance. By focusing on these rates, safety professionals can pinpoint specific issues that need to be addressed to improve overall safety performance.

This method also helps organizations understand the effectiveness of their current safety measures and indicates whether further actions are necessary to prevent future accidents. While successes and overall performance are important factors in a comprehensive evaluation, the specific focus on accident rates highlights areas that require immediate attention and improvement. This data-driven approach is essential for organizations aiming to foster a safer work environment.