What Is a Feedback Loop
Understanding Feedback Loops and Their Role in Continuous Safety Improvement
A Feedback Loop is a system-based mechanism in which the outcomes or results of a process are reintegrated as input for future cycles. In the context of safety and organisational management, feedback loops allow processes to adapt and improve based on observed outcomes, enabling more resilient and effective systems over time.
Feedback loops are widely applied in Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S), risk management, stakeholder engagement, and performance monitoring. They are central to data-informed decision-making, helping organisations respond to real-world conditions with agility and foresight.
Types of Feedback Loops
- Positive Feedback Loop: Reinforces or amplifies changes in a system. These loops accelerate growth, such as increasing safety participation through recognition and reward programmes.
- Negative Feedback Loop: Counteracts deviation from a desired state. These loops stabilise systems—such as modifying procedures after near-miss reporting to prevent recurrence.
Feedback Loops in ISO 45001 Systems
In ISO 45001-compliant OH&S management systems, feedback loops are embedded across multiple clauses—including Clause 10.2 (nonconformity and corrective action) and Clause 9 (performance evaluation). These loops are essential for continual improvement and for translating learning into updated procedures, policies, and behaviours.
- Audits: Feed back findings that prompt system improvements.
- Incident Investigations: Trigger control revisions and training changes.
- Worker Feedback: Improves tool design, procedures, and engagement strategies.
Benefits of Feedback Loops in OH&S
An effective feedback loop contributes to a safer, smarter organisation. When implemented deliberately, these loops:
- Enable proactive identification of emerging risks.
- Support real-time adjustment of safety measures.
- Enhance accountability by linking decisions to data.
- Strengthen communication between workers, management, and stakeholders.
Feedback loops are not just for incident response—they are strategic learning mechanisms that support continuous improvement and operational resilience.
A feedback loop allows organisations to learn from real-world outcomes and use that data to refine safety strategies, correct procedures, and reduce future risk.
ISO 45001 embeds feedback loops in clauses relating to audits, monitoring, corrective action, and continual improvement, ensuring that outcomes inform future action for better OH&S performance.
Positive feedback loops amplify system changes and often lead to growth or escalation; negative loops stabilise systems by correcting deviations and restoring desired conditions.