Which statement about data sources for safety data is correct?

Which statement about data sources for safety data is correct?

• A. Rely exclusively on reactive data sources.
• B. Rely on a combination of reactive and proactive data sources.
• C. Rely exclusively on proactive data sources.
• D. Do not collect data at all.

Answer: (B)

Balancing safety data means using both what has happened and what could happen. Reactive data from incidents, accidents, and near-misses shows you how things have failed in the real world and helps identify root causes and effective remedies. But focusing only on what’s already occurred can miss latent hazards, unreported issues, or emerging risks that haven’t yet produced an incident. Proactive data sources—such as hazard analyses, safety audits, risk assessments, routine inspections, training outcomes, and trend monitoring—let you spot potential problems before they become real events. They also help measure how well controls are working and guide preventive actions. Using a combination of both reactive and proactive data provides a complete safety picture: you learn from past events and anticipate future risks, enabling continuous improvement. Relying only on reactive data is incomplete because it may overlook emerging hazards. Relying only on proactive data misses real-world incidents to learn from. Not collecting data at all would prevent any informed safety decisions.

Balancing safety data means using both what has happened and what could happen. Reactive data from incidents, accidents, and near-misses shows you how things have failed in the real world and helps identify root causes and effective remedies. But focusing only on what’s already occurred can miss latent hazards, unreported issues, or emerging risks that haven’t yet produced an incident.

Proactive data sources—such as hazard analyses, safety audits, risk assessments, routine inspections, training outcomes, and trend monitoring—let you spot potential problems before they become real events. They also help measure how well controls are working and guide preventive actions.

Using a combination of both reactive and proactive data provides a complete safety picture: you learn from past events and anticipate future risks, enabling continuous improvement.

Relying only on reactive data is incomplete because it may overlook emerging hazards. Relying only on proactive data misses real-world incidents to learn from. Not collecting data at all would prevent any informed safety decisions.