Avetta and the National Safety Council (NSC) have unveiled the Safety Maturity Index (SMI), a new framework aimed at improving contractor safety outcomes by focusing on leading indicators and risk management. The tool is designed to help organizations identify health and safety weaknesses in their supply chains to prevent serious injuries and fatalities.
The Safety Maturity Index assesses a contractor’s safety management system, offering a more comprehensive evaluation than traditional models, which have typically relied on past performance. By targeting systemic issues and promoting continual improvement, the index seeks to offer a more actionable approach to contractor safety.
“Our partnership represents joint dedication to innovation in the contractor safety space,” said Don Dama, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at NSC. He added that the SMI enables organizations to monitor contractors’ safety systems more effectively, thus empowering industries to reduce the occurrence of serious incidents.
The development of the index draws on 15 years of NSC research, data from Avetta’s global contractor network, and contributions from clients such as Entergy and Cargill. The goal is to move beyond compliance and foster improvement-focused safety discussions within supply chains.
“Past performance isn’t a reliable indicator of future safety,” said Taylor Allis, Chief Product Officer at Avetta. “By partnering with NSC, we’re shifting contractor safety interactions from compliance-based ones to improvement-focused discussions, charting a new course in contractor safety.”
The SMI evaluates contractors based on five key categories: leadership practices, hazard identification, worker training, incident management, and communication of safety improvements. The scoring is based on a 0-100 scale, offering a measurable framework for organizations to monitor and enhance safety performance.
The SMI will initially be available to select North American clients in early 2025, with additional safety improvement tools and resources provided through a membership package.