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definition:

What is behavior safety?

Everybody who works to reduce accidents and improve safe performance is concerned
with human behavior. “Behavior and accidents is what it’s all about,” is a commonly
heard phrase.

While behavioral safety shares a concern with human behavior and safe performance in
the workplace with other approaches, it is more than that. behavioral safety is the
application of behavioral research on human performance to the problems of safety in
the workplace. This means that any safety program labeling itself as a behavioral safety
program must meet the standards of behavior analytic research as practices are applied
to the workplace.

Behavior-based safety is a promising technology for industry. It is an excellent tool for

collecting data on the quality of a company’s safety management system. It is a scientific
way to understand why people behave the way they do when it comes to safety. If it is
properly applied, it is also an effective next step towards creating a truly pro-active safety
culture where loss prevention is a core value. However, behavior-based safety is
conceptually easy to understand but often hard to implement and sustain.
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Figure 1. behavior and safety

How does Behavioral Safety work?

Behavior analysis is the science of behavior change. Applied behavior analysis is the
application of the science of behavior change to real world problems. As we do this, we
are looking for functional or systematic relationships between
 Environmental changes, i.e., the stimuli or cues that lead to behavior
 The behavior itself, such as specific areas of work performance
 And the consequences of behavior, i.e., the positive or negative
responses that occur immediately after a person performs a particular
work task.

These relationships have been exhaustively studied in the laboratories. Applied behavior
analysis applies the lessons learned in laboratory research to the challenges of human
behavior in everyday life. In this case, to build safe practices in the workplace, sound
behavioral safety programs include the following basic steps:

1. Behaviorally specify the desirable performance.

For example, if we want to improve safe practices in a certain workplace, we first
specify as behaviorally as possible, those practices. For example, correct forklift
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operation or lifting behavior. Or, we may specify the outcomes that are achieved
if safe practices are performed. For example, a shop floor that is free of hazards
such as wires or oil slicks that could trip an employee and cause a fall. The
process of specifying these criteria for good performance results in a measuring
instrument that can be used to periodically sample safety performance in the
workplace and measure human performance.

2. Measure safety performance.

Using the criteria for safe workplace performance, we periodically sample and
measure safety performance against those criteria. These measurements are
recorded and become part of a data base; a cumulative log of performance for
each workplace.

3. Shape safe performance through feedback and other consequences.

Behavioral research on learning teaches us powerful lessons about how to teach
and build performance improvement. First among these lessons is the power of
consequences. Consequences shape performance. One very powerful
consequence is feedback on workplace performance. Properly designed and
used, performance feedback will produce learning and positive performance
changes - often very dramatically.

As a practical matter, once measurement takes place, a sound behavioral safety

program will provide timely, usually immediate, feedback on workplace safety
behavior to the employees whose workplace is being observed. It will not be
delayed for lengthy periods of time. In addition, feedback will focus on positive
gains in performance, not negative performance decrements. It will be
predictable and certain. And, it will be delivered in ways that are meaningful to
the people who are receiving it.
The posting of graphs of the performance of work teams or departments in
building safe performance over time is another form of feedback that sets the
occasion for coaching and feedback on workplace safety performance. As teams
and departments improve in their achieving high levels of safe practices in the
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workplace, celebrations are often held, further acknowledging and reinforcing

safe performance.

What are the defining features of a behavioral approach?

1. Systematic
 Specify the behaviors and results to be improved
 Determine an objective way to measure those behaviors and results
 Use principles of behavior to develop methods to change current
performance
 Implement these methods and evaluate their effectiveness
2. Data oriented
 Use valid and reliable data to evaluate the effectiveness of change
strategies
 Measure performance objectively and accurately
3. Scientific problem solving
 Define behavior precisely – “operationally define” or pinpoint
 Experiment – conduct a “functional analysis” and rule out other variables
 Consistently replicate findings under different circumstances

What are the benefits of applying behavior-based safety?

a) Reduce injuries and modify employee behavior by reinforcing safe work practices and
eliminating at-risk behavior
b) Reduce costs related to injuries and incidents
c) Develop communications skills
d) Raise overall safety awareness
e) Increase observation skills
f) Develop leadership skills
g) Communicate management’s commitment to safety
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Safety
Activities

Fewer at-risk
Behaviors

Fewer
Accidents

Figure 2. Behavioral based safety

Safety Philosophy Principles in behavioral-based safety

a) All injuries and occupational illnesses can be prevented

b) Safety is everyone’s responsibility
c) Management is directly accountable for preventing injuries and occupational illnesses
d) Safety is a condition of employment
e) Training is an essential element for workplace safety
f) Safety audits must be conducted frequently
g) Safe work practices must be reinforced and all unsafe acts and conditions must be
corrected promptly
h) It is essential to investigate all near missed, incidents and injuries
i) Preventing injuries and occupational illnesses is good business
j) People are the most critical element in the success of a safety health program
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How to implement behavioral-based safety process?

Generally, your design and implementation efforts follow a five-step process (Table 1).
For simplicity, these steps are presented in sequence. In practice, some of the steps
may occur concurrently.

Table 1. Procedure to create behavioral-based process

Step Activity
1 Design the behavioral-based safety process
2 Train coaches and teams
3 Kick off the process
4 Extend the feedback and involvement process
5 Enhance recognition and celebration

Step 1. Design the Behavioral Safety process

The critical element of the Behavioral Safety process is a coaching procedure built
around an observation checklist. The checklist ensures that all of the critical safety items
are considered in the coaching session and helps the coaches to be objective, specific,
and positive in discussing observations with the observed employees. The steps in the
implementation of the coaching procedure are outlined in the Table 2.

Table 2. Creating the Coaching Procedure

Task Activity
1 Pinpoint safe practices
2 Draft and revise the observation checklist(s)
3 Develop the coaching procedure(s)
4 Trial run the checklist(s) and procedure(s)
5 Conduct a management team review
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Task 1. Pinpoint target safety practices

Deciding which employee behaviors to include on the checklist is a balancing act
between including all those practices essential to creating a safe workplace and creating
a checklist that is simple and easy to use. There are a variety of methods for selecting
checklist items, including analyzing records for those behaviors that might have
prevented an incident, interviewing subject matter experts, and reviewing relevant
regulations.

Those practices you include on the checklist must be described in such a way as to
allow coaches to reliably record their observations. Each item must be detailed enough
to allow independent observers to agree on how to record their observations. Checklists
that are written in an objective and positive manner also facilitate successful coaching.
This is the process of pinpointing.

Task 2. Draft and revise the observation checklists

The checklists can have a variety of formats. The goal is to develop a checklist format
that is reliable and easy to use. Checklists may allow the observer to score each
pinpointed practice as either safe or unsafe. Other formats may involve a frequency
count of safe or unsafe practices, a rating scale, or some combination of these.

Task 3. Develop the coaching procedure

Several of the critical questions your Design Team must consider in developing the
coaching procedure are:
 Who will conduct the coaching?
 Will coaching be voluntary or a job requirement?
 What training will these coaches need?
 How often will coaching be conducted?

Task 4. Trial run the checklist and the procedure

Designing a valid, reliable, and above all practical, checklist and coaching procedure
requires taking the drafts out of the conference room and into the work place. Design
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Team members test the draft checklists in their areas and their experience helps to
create a viable and useful data collection and coaching procedure. Ideally, the entire
coaching session takes no more than thirty minutes.

Task 5. Conduct a Management Team review

Now that your Behavioral Safety process has been designed, you need your
Management Team’s support for implementation. Scheduling a presentation by the
Design Team to the Management Team accomplishes two objectives. Not only will you
have the opportunity to obtain management commitment and support but this
demonstration of the culmination of their work often produces a greater sense of
ownership and commitment in the Design Team members, too. Table 3 illustrates a
sample agenda for such a meeting. Each team member may present one item on the
agenda. Consider inviting all interested managers to this presentation, not only those
involved in the identified Management Team. The more understanding for the process
you generate, the more support you are likely to receive.

Table 3. Sample Management Presentation Agenda

Management presentation agenda
Mission statement and values for process results of incident record
analysis proposed process
 Proposed observation checklist& process
 Proposed checklist items and definitions
 Proposed training and kick off plans
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 Proposed recognition and celebration plans

 Proposed feedback and tracking
 Proposed management policy statement
Request management input and approval

Step 2. Train coaches and teams

As you consider implementation of the coaching process, you will need to consider the
existing skills and training needs of the identified coaches. For the Behavioral Safety
process to be successful, coaches may need training in at least three areas:
 Observation skills
o Use of the checklist
o The observation procedure
 Observation-based Coaching skills
o Providing positive feedback
o Discussing observed safety concerns
o Problem-solving safety concerns
 Job-related skills identified on the safety checklist

Coaches also benefit from an understanding of the rationale or basic theory underlying
the Behavioral Safety process, including the coaching procedure and the action planning
based on the observation data. They will often provide better support when they
understand the reasons for the behavioral approach.

In addition to identifying the training needed to make implementation successful, the

Design Team decides on the most effective way to deliver training. You will want to plan
a training process that balances effectiveness with cost and impact on the workplace.
The options for training include:
 Individual coaching (describe, demonstrate, observe, and provide feedback)
 Mentoring of new coaches by experienced and successful coaches
 Seminars or workshops
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Consider individual coaching and mentoring for training new coaches as a less
disruptive process than providing workshops or seminars. On the other hand, providing
an understanding of the rationale for the Behavioral Safety process might be done most
effectively in larger groups. Allowing employees to make videos or slides of near-miss
incidents or past incident situations provides an effective training tool that creates a high
level of involvement. This training tool is especially useful for demonstrating and
practicing coaching skills.

Step 3. Kickoff the process

Kickoff meetings are often used to introduce the process when coaching will begin
before everyone has completed training. Schedule a series of meetings with small
groups of employees to explain the Behavioral Safety process. Generally, covering all
areas and shifts this way takes several meetings. Small groups of eight to ten people are
ideal as they provide employees with a better opportunity for discussion and questions
than do larger groups. The agenda looks very much like the previous presentation to
management. In either case, the Design Team may participate in all presentations, or
they can split the responsibility.

You may also want to plan a role for management in your kick-off meetings. For
example, a representative of upper management or the area manager might comment
on management's support for the new safety improvement efforts.

Step 4. Extend the feedback and involvement process

Your teams will arrange to post graphs showing the observation data in work areas and
locations where employees are likely to see them. A good practice is to establish a
bulletin board for safety in each area. You can then readily display observation forms,
safety graphs, and other safety-related information.

Graphs must be simple and easy to understand. Consider two graphs for each area: a
Pareto chart showing the most frequently recorded concerns, and a line graph showing
the percentage of employees conducting observations and coaching. Data must be
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specific enough to be useful to the audience; for example, you may want separate
graphs for each shift.

Step 5. Enhance recognition and celebration

No process will last without maintaining the motivation of those involved. Your
Behavioral Safety process has two important components that need support. The first is
the improvements in safety performance evident in observations. The second is
employee participation - as coaches, and as members of Area Safety Team and the
Steering Committee. Individuals and teams can be recognized in a variety of ways. The
most important element of this recognition is that it be meaningful to the recipient.
Sincere personal acknowledgements are often one of the most powerful forms of
reinforcement. The more frequently they occur, the more powerful their effect. Arranging
for someone from management or recognizing an employee in front of their peers can
make the recognition more meaningful for some employees. Group activities such as
parties, meals, trips, and games are also good ways to provide reinforcement. Another
effective method of reinforcing both groups and individuals for their accomplishment is to
have them describe what they did to achieve it.

Symbolic awards may be given during these celebratory events. The awards represent
the accomplishment, its significance, and the recognition of others. They are not meant
to financially reward the employees for working safely or for participating in the process.
The best awards provide a lasting visual memory of the celebration and often provoke
later inquiries from others as to their significance. Examples are trophies, plaques, and
other decorative items or badges, pins, shirts, and other clothing items. The Behavioral
Safety recognition process provides a way of celebrating your successes and saying
thanks to those employees who work safely and those that make special contributions.

Appendix -A
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Key Questions for behavioral-based safety?

1) Do you follow safe work practices on and off the job?

2) When assigning work, do you discuss the safe practices required for the job and the
associated hazards?
3) Do you remember to be particularly alert for reactions of people in the first 10-30
seconds after you enter the area?
4) Do you use a questioning attitude on the job, asking yourself what injuries could occur
if the unexpected happens, and how the job can be performed more safely?
5) When you observe, do you use all your senses (total observation) and do you
remember to look above, below, around and inside?
6) Do you talk with people who are working safely to reinforce safe work practices?
7) Do you take immediate corrective action when you observe an unsafe act?
8) Do you take action to prevent recurrence when you observe an unsafe act?
9) Do you routinely review job procedures to make sure they are adequate, known,
understood and followed?
10) Are you satisfied with the orderliness in your area as a public advertisement of your
personal standards?
11) Do you observe each person from head-to-toe at least twice a shift, making certain
each body part is protected?
12) Do you make sure people are safe from potential injury causes by looking at their
positions as they work?
13) After observing people’s positions, do you check the tools and equipment they are
using?
14) When preventing recurrence, do you use a questioning attitude and listen – Giving
the person a chance to tell you what the hazards are?
15) Do you use your judgment and stay alert for the underlying causes of unsafe acts so
your actions fit both the situation and your company policies?
16) Do you investigate unusual odors and sounds in your area?
17) Do you observe for evaporative acts?
18) Do you talk with the person involved until they understand why the act is hazardous?
19) Do you analyze trends after you investigate underlying causes?
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