This article shall be useful in understanding and application of the concept and process of behavior based safety for safety professionals concerned about correcting unsafe behaviors for reduction of accidents and promoting safe behaviors for developing injury-free culture in their organizations.
Introducing a Behavior Based Safety (BBS) program is a great way to change an organization’s safety culture, if done correctly. The programs we have seen over the years have taken many forms.
Let’s take a quiz.
Which of the following is the ideal form of a BBS program?
(a) Finding fault with employee actions and making corrections (sometimes punitive actions)
(b) Using behavior science to eliminate hazards or identify administrative control
(c) Analyzing observational data and rewarding good behavior through a “token” system
The ideal BBS program collects large amounts of information about employee habits to affect change and hopefully take the company’s safety program to the “next level”, even making it world-class. So, the answer is (b).
A successful BBS program requires the following pieces working in unison:
Dedicated involvement from every employee (even the CEO); including contractors and sub-contractors makes the program even stronger.
A method for collecting and evaluating the data Mechanisms for instituting change to policies, procedures, and systems.
Leadership’s willingness to admit that there’s a better way and to start over Behavior Based Safety is most effective when treated as a continuous loop, constantly adapting to your employee, safety and business needs. These elements are included in what I consider to be the complete BBS process.
BBS emphasizes that employees need to take an ownership of their safe as well as unsafe behaviors. If they behave unsafe, they are not punished, instead they are repeatedly told to correct; and when they behave safe, they are encouraged. Both unsafe and safe behaviors are counted and displayed. BBS also discusses the unsafe conditions that influence unsafe behaviors.
BBS is a data driven decision-making process. BBS believes that what gets measured gets done and each employee can make a difference in organizational safety. Employees are the basic source of expertise of behavioral change (observe and correct). BBS begins by briefing sessions for all work areas and depts. BBS is a teamwork; it is company wide and people driven. BBS purpose is not to enforce safety rules, force change, gossip about others, reporting to boss. Its purpose is to identify safe and at-risk behaviors, identify possibility for injury, communicating the risk and helping to identify safer solutions. An implementation team or BBS steering committee monitors its progress. Essentially BBS is not a management driven tool for safety. It's an employee driven approach with management support.
Highlights of BBS
These highlights include different features of BBS, which will help us understanding the concepts and processes involved in BBS. This section is organized in three aspects of BBS as below:
a. BBS concepts
b. Observation and feedback process
c. BBS implementation and steering committee
BBS concepts
1.Actively caring of unsafe and safe behaviors leads to improved safety behavior.
2.Listening, praising, group problem solving and celebrating safety achievements can increase actively caring behaviors.
3.Attitude and behavior link is weak. What we teach does not necessarily get converted into behavior.
4.Attitude is internal, refers to thinking and realization; whereas behaviour is external, observable and an active experience.
5.BBS addresses individual and social dynamics for safety.
6.BBS does not substitute or replace process evaluation, incident analysis or environmental solutions. When at-risk behaviours are identified, the comments are made on the environmental factors that reduce or prevent such behaviors.
7.BBS effects can be seen by measuring safety climate or awareness before and after its implementation for understanding change in safety performance.
8.BBS finally needs customized approach as per needs of your organization.
9.BBS follows DO-IT: Define, observe, intervene and test.
10.BBS has shown positive results in terms of safe behaviour and reduction in accidents rates across industries and countries.
11.BBS increases safe behaviours and reduces injuries, illnesses and related financial costs.
12.BBS involves a process of observation and feedback, a system of collecting, analyzing and dissemination of data and a proactive approach of management support.
13.BBS is 'actively caring': Its beyond the call of duty for safety for self and others.
14.BBS is "safety for each other".
15.BBS is a continuous process till you intend to prevent unsafe behaviors at workplace.
16.BBS is a peer-to-peer learning of safe behaviours.
17.BBS is a process of determining progress in reduction of unsafe behaviours.
18.BBS is more than safety regulations.
19.BBS is not magic. It's a gradual process.
20.BBS is not punishment or disciplinary action or focusing on incident rate or personal prejudice or top-down implementation. It's a praise, encouragement and reinforcement of safe behaviors.
21.BBS is not a top-driven but bottom-up approach.
22.BBS is one of the best and latest safety approaches that will help you increase safe behaviors and decrease unsafe behaviors in your organization if applied with full commitment of everybody.
23.BBS is to ultimately develop concern for each other's safety at the workplace and developing empathy for each other.
24.Behavior is a transaction of person (attitude, personality) and environment (management systems organizational climate). Total safety culture requires attention to these three areas; actively caring improves all these three.
25.BBS is by the people, of the people and for the people. It is based on the established principles of behavior theory in Psychology.
26.Principles of BBS are based on research and an established theory.
Observation and feedback process
27.BBS is process of repeatedly going to an employee and making random observations till he reaches safe behaviors and learns the concept of self-observation and observing others for safe performance.
28.NBS is to collect observation data on specific safe and unsafe behaviors by department, date, month and time.
29.BBS trained observers monitor safety behaviors on regular basis.
30.Behavior change precedes attitude change. We see tiger, run and then experience emotion of fear. Realization occurs better by doing.
31.BBS is BOFP i.e., behavior observation and feedback process (BOFP).
32.Behavioral change brings 'attitudinal change', not necessarily vice-versa, so focus on behavior observation and feedback process.
33.Critical behaviors can be listed in checklist based on previous accident and injury records and also by brainstorming.
34.Different observers will notice different safe and unsafe behaviors, which is why employees need to observe each other.
35.Establish observation routines and continuously improve safety process.
36.Feedback can be on-the-spot and graphical feedback and also weekly / monthly briefings are given.
37.Feedback is an interaction based on genuine concern; let us not doubt our own attitude in giving and receiving feedback, it provides insight into our own behaviors.
38.Feedback is to be given one on one, immediate, specific behavior to be reinforced, appreciate safe behavior to set example.
39.In Hindi language, BBS is all about dekho and bolo with sensitivity and concern.
40.Individual name of an employee is not recorded in the BBS checklist.
41.Observers target observable safe and unsafe behaviors of co-workers.
42.Observation and couching may take some time to be accepted by co-workers.
43.Observation and feedback skills improve with practice and by using checklist.
44.Observation sampling should be undertaken randomly (not on fixed timings) throughout week.
45.Observational comments: Wrong tool used, instead say which tool needs to be used and why.
46.Observe both safe and at-risk behaviours and use detailed comments for problem solving, follow up etc.
47.Observe in team of two (new observer with veteran observer).
48.Observers provide feedback on safe and unsafe behaviors to an observee as per completed checklist.
49.Observers provide immediate feedback for correction of behaviors.
50.Safety coaching fosters open communication about safety.
51.Safety coaching serves as constant reminder for workplace safety.
52.Safety observer / coach in every department may use different critical behaviors (use of PPE, body positioning, use of tools) on checklist and coaching process (problem solving, follow up).
53.Some characteristics of BBS observer are: concern for others, self-initiation for correcting the observee, developing mutual insight on safe behavior, transforming the observee for self-observation on safe behavior.
What does a BBS observer gain from actively caring?
An actively caring (listening, praising, acceptance) is one of the significant aspects of BBS, one needs to understand what does a BBS observer gain from actively caring? Here are some responses of the BBS training participants:
# Positive safety culture;
# Increase in production;
# Job satisfaction;
# Love and affection;
# Bonding;
# Ownership;
# Teamwork;
# Confidence;
# Fearlessness;
# Actively care;
# Feeling to help;
# Joy;
# Openness;
# Decrease in unsafe acts; and
# Positive response
All the above responses clearly indicate that BBS helps in building positive safety culture in an organization.
Striving to make the workplace safer by eliminating hazards and preventing injuries requires a partnership between the company and its employees. For a company, its safety culture has the greatest impact on this partnership. Companies with the best safety records have a strong safety culture. For employees, motivation has the greatest influence on the worker-employer safety partnership. To succeed, the employee must feel that the employer really cares about their well-being, and the employer must feel that the worker is committed to the company’s safety expectations.
Introducing a Behavior Based Safety (BBS) program is a great way to change an organization’s safety culture, if done correctly. The programs we have seen over the years have taken many forms.
Let’s take a quiz.
Which of the following is the ideal form of a BBS program?
(a) Finding fault with employee actions and making corrections (sometimes punitive actions)
(b) Using behavior science to eliminate hazards or identify administrative control
(c) Analyzing observational data and rewarding good behavior through a “token” system
The ideal BBS program collects large amounts of information about employee habits to affect change and hopefully take the company’s safety program to the “next level”, even making it world-class. So, the answer is (b).
A successful BBS program requires the following pieces working in unison:
Dedicated involvement from every employee (even the CEO); including contractors and sub-contractors makes the program even stronger.
A method for collecting and evaluating the data Mechanisms for instituting change to policies, procedures, and systems.
Leadership’s willingness to admit that there’s a better way and to start over Behavior Based Safety is most effective when treated as a continuous loop, constantly adapting to your employee, safety and business needs. These elements are included in what I consider to be the complete BBS process.
BBS emphasizes that employees need to take an ownership of their safe as well as unsafe behaviors. If they behave unsafe, they are not punished, instead they are repeatedly told to correct; and when they behave safe, they are encouraged. Both unsafe and safe behaviors are counted and displayed. BBS also discusses the unsafe conditions that influence unsafe behaviors.
BBS is a data driven decision-making process. BBS believes that what gets measured gets done and each employee can make a difference in organizational safety. Employees are the basic source of expertise of behavioral change (observe and correct). BBS begins by briefing sessions for all work areas and depts. BBS is a teamwork; it is company wide and people driven. BBS purpose is not to enforce safety rules, force change, gossip about others, reporting to boss. Its purpose is to identify safe and at-risk behaviors, identify possibility for injury, communicating the risk and helping to identify safer solutions. An implementation team or BBS steering committee monitors its progress. Essentially BBS is not a management driven tool for safety. It's an employee driven approach with management support.
Highlights of BBS
These highlights include different features of BBS, which will help us understanding the concepts and processes involved in BBS. This section is organized in three aspects of BBS as below:
a. BBS concepts
b. Observation and feedback process
c. BBS implementation and steering committee
BBS concepts
1.Actively caring of unsafe and safe behaviors leads to improved safety behavior.
2.Listening, praising, group problem solving and celebrating safety achievements can increase actively caring behaviors.
3.Attitude and behavior link is weak. What we teach does not necessarily get converted into behavior.
4.Attitude is internal, refers to thinking and realization; whereas behaviour is external, observable and an active experience.
5.BBS addresses individual and social dynamics for safety.
6.BBS does not substitute or replace process evaluation, incident analysis or environmental solutions. When at-risk behaviours are identified, the comments are made on the environmental factors that reduce or prevent such behaviors.
7.BBS effects can be seen by measuring safety climate or awareness before and after its implementation for understanding change in safety performance.
8.BBS finally needs customized approach as per needs of your organization.
9.BBS follows DO-IT: Define, observe, intervene and test.
10.BBS has shown positive results in terms of safe behaviour and reduction in accidents rates across industries and countries.
11.BBS increases safe behaviours and reduces injuries, illnesses and related financial costs.
12.BBS involves a process of observation and feedback, a system of collecting, analyzing and dissemination of data and a proactive approach of management support.
13.BBS is 'actively caring': Its beyond the call of duty for safety for self and others.
14.BBS is "safety for each other".
15.BBS is a continuous process till you intend to prevent unsafe behaviors at workplace.
16.BBS is a peer-to-peer learning of safe behaviours.
17.BBS is a process of determining progress in reduction of unsafe behaviours.
18.BBS is more than safety regulations.
19.BBS is not magic. It's a gradual process.
20.BBS is not punishment or disciplinary action or focusing on incident rate or personal prejudice or top-down implementation. It's a praise, encouragement and reinforcement of safe behaviors.
21.BBS is not a top-driven but bottom-up approach.
22.BBS is one of the best and latest safety approaches that will help you increase safe behaviors and decrease unsafe behaviors in your organization if applied with full commitment of everybody.
23.BBS is to ultimately develop concern for each other's safety at the workplace and developing empathy for each other.
24.Behavior is a transaction of person (attitude, personality) and environment (management systems organizational climate). Total safety culture requires attention to these three areas; actively caring improves all these three.
25.BBS is by the people, of the people and for the people. It is based on the established principles of behavior theory in Psychology.
26.Principles of BBS are based on research and an established theory.
Observation and feedback process
27.BBS is process of repeatedly going to an employee and making random observations till he reaches safe behaviors and learns the concept of self-observation and observing others for safe performance.
28.NBS is to collect observation data on specific safe and unsafe behaviors by department, date, month and time.
29.BBS trained observers monitor safety behaviors on regular basis.
30.Behavior change precedes attitude change. We see tiger, run and then experience emotion of fear. Realization occurs better by doing.
31.BBS is BOFP i.e., behavior observation and feedback process (BOFP).
32.Behavioral change brings 'attitudinal change', not necessarily vice-versa, so focus on behavior observation and feedback process.
33.Critical behaviors can be listed in checklist based on previous accident and injury records and also by brainstorming.
34.Different observers will notice different safe and unsafe behaviors, which is why employees need to observe each other.
35.Establish observation routines and continuously improve safety process.
36.Feedback can be on-the-spot and graphical feedback and also weekly / monthly briefings are given.
37.Feedback is an interaction based on genuine concern; let us not doubt our own attitude in giving and receiving feedback, it provides insight into our own behaviors.
38.Feedback is to be given one on one, immediate, specific behavior to be reinforced, appreciate safe behavior to set example.
39.In Hindi language, BBS is all about dekho and bolo with sensitivity and concern.
40.Individual name of an employee is not recorded in the BBS checklist.
41.Observers target observable safe and unsafe behaviors of co-workers.
42.Observation and couching may take some time to be accepted by co-workers.
43.Observation and feedback skills improve with practice and by using checklist.
44.Observation sampling should be undertaken randomly (not on fixed timings) throughout week.
45.Observational comments: Wrong tool used, instead say which tool needs to be used and why.
46.Observe both safe and at-risk behaviours and use detailed comments for problem solving, follow up etc.
47.Observe in team of two (new observer with veteran observer).
48.Observers provide feedback on safe and unsafe behaviors to an observee as per completed checklist.
49.Observers provide immediate feedback for correction of behaviors.
50.Safety coaching fosters open communication about safety.
51.Safety coaching serves as constant reminder for workplace safety.
52.Safety observer / coach in every department may use different critical behaviors (use of PPE, body positioning, use of tools) on checklist and coaching process (problem solving, follow up).
53.Some characteristics of BBS observer are: concern for others, self-initiation for correcting the observee, developing mutual insight on safe behavior, transforming the observee for self-observation on safe behavior.
What does a BBS observer gain from actively caring?
An actively caring (listening, praising, acceptance) is one of the significant aspects of BBS, one needs to understand what does a BBS observer gain from actively caring? Here are some responses of the BBS training participants:
# Positive safety culture;
# Increase in production;
# Job satisfaction;
# Love and affection;
# Bonding;
# Ownership;
# Teamwork;
# Confidence;
# Fearlessness;
# Actively care;
# Feeling to help;
# Joy;
# Openness;
# Decrease in unsafe acts; and
# Positive response
All the above responses clearly indicate that BBS helps in building positive safety culture in an organization.
Striving to make the workplace safer by eliminating hazards and preventing injuries requires a partnership between the company and its employees. For a company, its safety culture has the greatest impact on this partnership. Companies with the best safety records have a strong safety culture. For employees, motivation has the greatest influence on the worker-employer safety partnership. To succeed, the employee must feel that the employer really cares about their well-being, and the employer must feel that the worker is committed to the company’s safety expectations.
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