The Perils of Metrics

Improving mine safety is a great goal. A safer mine has fewer injuries, so counting injury reports might look like an appropriate metric. And, of course, encouraging safety via incentives sounds like a good idea. But...

"Besides, Mr. Blankenship was concerned about safety, the miner said. He described an incentive program at Massey where employees would accumulate points if they did not get injured. Those points could be traded in for goods like hunting gear, outdoor cooking equipment and gifts."

...

"Even that safety program, with the fishing poles and purses, was about saving money, said Rick Wagner, a former technician at Upper Big Branch. If you get points for staying healthy, you are less likely to report an injury, which then reduces doctor’s visits and with that, workers’ compensation premiums. `I knew men with slipped disks,' Mr. Wagner said, `and they didn’t report it because they didn’t want to lose safety bonus points.'"

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/21/business/energy-environment/the-people-v-the-coal-baron.html