Every action taken holds meaning in the workplace. Every step implemented within an organization has a considerable impact, which triggers a chain of events following that action. Making it necessary to establish controlled actions and measures to control the chain reaction that takes place in an organization. Each individual, team, and department is interconnected, making behavior-based safety an essential part of workplace organization.
Here’s everything you need to know about behavior-based safety, from principles, approaches, processes, and examples.
What Is Behavior-Based Safety?
Behavior-based safety is a research-based, proactive approach designed to reduce errors and accidents. Similar to an observational study, behavior-based safety involves observing the behavior of a person and determining if what follows is beneficial or harmful. This tactic can be implemented to reduce hazards, risks, and accidents by analyzing the consequences of a particular action or behavior and whether to change or continue it.Behavior-Based Safety Program
Behavior-based safety is a program that focuses on each individual's performance, whether they follow safety guidelines or precautions. Such programs focus on how safely an employee performs rather than just holding the management accountable. The primary motive of BBS is to focus on the actions and behaviors of each individual, so each employee plays a role in maintaining and creating a safe work environment. You can implement a behavior-based safety program based on these steps:
- Develop a team responsible for the behavior-based safety program
- Note down recognized behaviors that are considered safe. These can be taken from safety audits, previous accidents, near-miss reports, and other documentation.
- Create a behavior-based safety checklist that can help supervisors record incidents and encourage employees to be self-accountable.
- Establish a measurement system that can count how frequently safe or unsafe behaviors occur.
- Implement behavior observation systems such as Planned Task Observation.
- Provide positive feedback based on the behavior of the employees, creating a positive attitude to foster a culture of safety.
- Make necessary adjustments and changes based on the gathered data.
7 Principles Of Behavior-Based Safety
Renowned for his work in the field of applied behavior physics, Dr. E. Scott Geller is known for his work on analyzing human behavior and its impact on workplace safety. His research and insights have been the base of 7 principles of behavior-based safety, which is an effective workplace organizational safety management tool.
Principle 1: Routine Observation
Before implementing changes, you need to start by observing the day-to-day behavior of your employees and standard procedures. Analyzing how things operate in your workplace can help you determine the need for safety intervention.
For instance, you can begin by assessing whether employees follow basic safety regulatory rules such as wearing PPE while operating machinery. By observing whether employees rigorously follow personal protective equipment guidelines can help determine whether correction measures need to be implemented.
Principle 2: External Focus
Besides behavior actions, external factors need to be analyzed as well. Environmental factors that influence individual behaviors play an integral role in understanding the cause. External factors include environmental conditions, task demands, organizational policies, and social influences.
Principle 3: Antecedents and Consequences
Behavior-based safety is based on two key components: antecedents (circumstances that lead to an action) and consequences (events that follow after a behavior). Understanding the role these two components play can help reduce risks and foster a safe environment.
For instance, providing clear instruction and training (antecedents) on the use of PPE can minimize the risk of hazards. Following that, recognizing PPE guidelines being followed for action with positive feedback or rewards (consequences) sets a standard for employees to follow appropriate procedures.
Principle 4: Positive Reinforcement
Positive feedback and rewards play a crucial role in ensuring behavior-based safety. Providing positive remarks can encourage employees to repeat a certain behavior, creating a pattern with desirable outcomes. Positive reinforcement can take form in many ways, including rewards, complimentary feedback, and public acknowledgment.
Principle 5: Measurement and Objectivity
Behavior-based follows a systematic approach of continuous analysis and assessment of behavior-related data to evaluate progress, identify patterns and determine efficiency. Developing checklists or monitoring systems can help record behaviors such as inventory storage, following safety procedures, and near misses. By assessing these trends, organizations can determine areas for improvement and measure the need for improvement.
Principle 6: Hypothesis Testing
Behavior-based safety programs should not be limited to everyday observations or operations but rather calculate possibilities as well. They should encourage creativity by calculating potential hypotheses regarding unsafe procedures and testing them out. Having documentation regarding potential risks and hazards can help prevent the action from taking place and avoid safety risks.
Principle 7: Consideration Of Feelings And Attitudes
Taking emotions into consideration can help encourage safety practices. For instance, addressing employees' feelings of motivation, fear, or surprise can play a pivotal role in developing a safety culture. By actively involving employees and listening to their insights can contribute to employee safety engagement and commitment to safety.
What is a Behavior-Based Safety Checklist?
A behavior-based safety checklist is an observation method designed to distinguish between which behaviors are considered safe and unsafe. This approach helps eliminate unsafe behaviors and foster an environment of workplace safety. You can use this checklist to observe if appropriate methods were taken before an incident, such as the right selection of tools for the job, the use of personal protective equipment, and more.
How to Implement Behavior-Based Safety in Your Workplace
An inviting attitude and an open mind are two key components of implementing behavior-based safety in your workplace. You can get started by following these basic steps to cultivate a culture of safety in your workplace.
- Understand the ABC model: The Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence or ABC model is an ideal way to understand how employees and management function. A collaborative effort between the two can help understand what triggers unsafe behaviors and how they impact workplace safety.
- Examine previous accidents: Assuming that employees are the reason behind each problem is a common misconception. Floor supervisors should thoroughly examine each accident or near-miss incident to determine the root cause and how to prevent it in the near future.
- Implement positive reinforcement: A common practice most workplaces follow is blaming the employee behind each incident. This can lead to problematic feelings between frontline employees and the management. It’s necessary to enforce positive feedback and rewards to encourage safe behaviors on an individual basis.
- Encourage employee feedback: Management should work to gather verdicts from employees, listen closely to the challenges they face, and create a platform for open communication, fair leadership, and continuous improvement.
Design A Culture Of Safety With CSS
Workplace organization goes a long way in ensuring behavior-based safety and long-term benefits. We at Creative safety supply are your trusted partner to help sort, assess, and examine your workplace to foster a culture of safety. Utilize our guides, safety signs, and tools to create a safe environment for you and your team.
