Beyond Incident Rates: Measuring What Matters with ANSI/ASSP Z16.1-2022

How do we know if our safety and health programs are truly effective? For decades, organizations have relied heavily on injury rates, incident statistics, and other lagging indicators to evaluate safety performance. While these measures provide valuable information, they tell us primarily what has already happened—not necessarily how well risks are being managed or whether preventive efforts are working.

Effective safety leadership requires a more comprehensive approach to measuring performance, one that connects risk reduction, operational effectiveness, and organizational success.

Join the ASSP Three Rivers Chapter for an engaging technical presentation exploring ANSI/ASSP Z16.1-2022: Safety and Health Metrics and Performance Measures, a voluntary national consensus standard that provides a structured framework for developing, implementing, and evaluating meaningful occupational safety and health performance metrics.

Presented by Lauren Bauerschmidt, CSP, and Tim Fisher, two experienced leaders from the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), this session will examine how organizations can move beyond traditional injury statistics by establishing a balanced set of leading, lagging, and impact metrics.

Participants will explore how the Z16.1 framework supports risk-based decision-making, strengthens accountability, improves communication with organizational leadership, and demonstrates the broader business value of occupational safety and health initiatives.

Whether you are responsible for developing safety performance indicators, evaluating management system effectiveness, reporting results to executive leadership, or driving continuous improvement, this session will provide valuable perspectives on measuring what truly matters.

Objectives:

1. Explain the purpose, scope, and fundamental principles of ANSI/ASSP Z16.1-2022 and its role in evaluating occupational safety and health performance.
2. Differentiate among leading, lagging, and impact metrics, and identify how each contributes to a balanced assessment of safety and health performance.
3. Analyze the limitations of relying primarily on injury rates and other lagging indicators to evaluate risk management effectiveness and organizational safety performance.
4. Apply the Z16.1 measurement framework to identify meaningful performance indicators that support risk reduction, management accountability, and continual improvement.
5. Evaluate how safety and health performance metrics can be communicated to organizational leadership to demonstrate the effectiveness and broader business impact of safety initiatives.

Presenters:

Lauren Bauerschmidt, CSP

Senior Manager, Standards and Technical Publications
American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP)

Lauren Bauerschmidt is a Certified Safety Professional and serves as Senior Manager of Standards and Technical Publications at the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP).

In her role, Lauren coordinates ANSI/ASSP standards committees responsible for advancing nationally recognized guidance in occupational safety and health, including standards related to risk management, fall protection, safety performance metrics, and walking-working surfaces.

Her professional background includes ergonomics, workplace safety, and engineering, with experience improving work processes and reducing physical stressors in manufacturing and office environments.

Lauren holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Engineering from the University of Michigan, with graduate specialization in ergonomics and safety. She also contributes to the professional development of future safety practitioners through guest lectures on the practical application of consensus standards.

Tim Fisher

Chief Technical Officer
American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP)

Tim Fisher serves as Chief Technical Officer at the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), bringing more than four decades of experience in occupational safety, health, and environmental management.

Throughout his career, Tim has provided technical leadership in the development and advancement of national and international safety standards, including those addressing occupational safety and health management systems, risk management, hazardous energy control, confined spaces, fall protection, and safety performance metrics.

His expertise includes regulatory affairs, risk assessment, management systems, organizational leadership, and the application of technical standards to improve workplace safety and health outcomes.

Tim has delivered more than 350 professional presentations on occupational safety and health topics and has extensive experience representing the profession in technical discussions, regulatory initiatives, and national forums. He is also a decorated United States Air Force veteran.

Agenda:

11:30 am                               Lunch & Networking

11:55 am                               Chapter Announcements & Introductions

~Noon to ~1:00 pm           Presentation

Meeting Sponsor:

Not a current member apply here and select Three Rivers as your primary chapter, see you soon!

Walk-Ins Welcome! Didn’t register in advance? No problem! Walk-in attendees are welcome and may register and pay $45 at the event.