IOSH Managing Safely Practice Test

Which statement best defines a reactive measurement?

1. Establishing preventive measures

2. Assessing current workplace conditions

3. Analyzing past safety performance

4. Implementing new safety policies

The correct answer is: Analyzing past safety performance

A reactive measurement focuses on analyzing past safety performance to understand incidents after they’ve occurred. This approach looks at data such as accident reports, injury records, near misses, and other historical safety-related information to assess how effective current safety measures have been. By examining past events, organizations can identify trends and weaknesses in their safety management systems, which can inform future safety practices and interventions. The context of this type of measurement is vital in understanding its role in improving workplace safety. While it is essential to prevent accidents before they happen through proactive measures, reactive measurements allow organizations to learn from their experiences, ensuring that previous mistakes do not recur. Establishing preventive measures, assessing current workplace conditions, and implementing new safety policies are all proactive steps aimed at improving safety before incidents happen, but they do not focus on the evaluation of past performance in the same way that reactive measurements do. Hence, the best definition aligns closely with looking back at safety performance rather than solely focusing on prevention or current evaluations.