Behavior-Based Safety

 

Workplace Site

Accidents happen when people do things wrong. Sometimes they are mistakes and sometimes they are just not paying attention to what they're doing or don't know the rules of how something works safely.

Have a look at those short videos:

When you examine those scenes closely you might ask yourself why they were so overconfident? and why they behaved this way? 

That's why 98% of accidents are caused by "Human Error ", and the best strategy to face this kind of issue is called Behavior-Based Safety.

What is the Behavior-Based Safety

Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) is a proactive method of avoiding human error and improving workplace safety by observing and analyzing workers’ behavior while they work; it also determines what follows when this behavior occurs and what motivates underlying behaviors, to increase safe behavior.

The Benefits of BBS:

Always working safely

• Improved Safety practices to change from unsafe and risky situations to a safe workplace environment.
• Increase awareness and preparedness to mitigate against a known hazard. 
• React and respond safely when an emergency arises.
• Get continuous feedback whenever changes are implemented.
• Involve and engage worker participation by rewarding positive behavior.
• Provides Key Result Indicators (KPIs) to measure improvement.

6 Steps to conduct Behavior-Based Safety

Step 1: Observe

Observe workers while working, you should immediately which behaviors are safe (for recognition) and which are unsafe (need correction).

What is positive in their behavior? 

What is unsafe or at risk?

Stop, take a deep breath and think. If you invest a few seconds thinking, it will be easier for you to approach the person with a pre-established plan.

Step 2: Plan

What safe behavior or action do you want the person to tell you at the end of your intervention?

After all, you don't want to stumble your way through the intervention, you need a plan.

Before you intervene you will decide: "What safe behavior/action do I want the person to tell me at the end of the intervention. 

The plan can be either for recognition or for correction. this is also your Performance Indicator: if you get the person to say the right behavior or action and repeat it, you have been successful.

Step 3: Approach

Approach and greet positively the person: "Good morning, can I ask you what are you doing?"

Stop the activity, 
Make sure you do not surprise the people and cause an accident,
Ask them if they could stop and if you might speak with them for a moment?
Show respect and make sure you do not appear threatening, do this in a friendly way.
Take into consideration how many people are present, usually the smaller the better, and Start with something positive, good things happen from positive attitudes, this will set the tone for a friendly encounter.

Step 4: Ask

Ask Questions and listen to what could go wrong? Use open-ended questions, never tell, you must listen and ask until they identify the risks themselves.

The key point here is to get the person to tell you the risks, you have failed if you are the one telling. This may require some persistence, and several questions, do not give up, keep going.

Use words like: “what do you think?”, “what do you believe?”.

If they tell you the safe behavior or the right action which you are looking for (your plan), you are making progress.

Step 5: Obtain

Obtain the Action (or the verb). Use those questions: "Do you think there is a safer (or better) way to do this?", "What could you do to make this go safely?"

You are trying to get them to say “I will do the (safe behavior in your plan).

This is the moment of truth, obtain safe action with questions. 

Once the person mentions your targeted action, you will be almost ready to finish the intervention.

You've made a successful intervention if they say the safe behavior you identified in your plan in step 2.

Step 6: Commit

Now you want them to repeat the safe behavior or the right action, ask them: “And what are you going to do the next time you do this task?” after they repeat the safe behavior or the right action then you have succeeded.

The Three Yes Principle :

1. Is it your responsibility to “safe verb/behavior”?  YES
2. Do you think that this (safe verb) is good for you and your family?  YES
3. Do you think that doing this (safe action) from now, it will help you to be safe? YES

Thank them and end on a positive note and a handshake.

 

20mn Method

There is another way to conduct Behavior-Based Safety called the 20mn method:

The point is watching each other's back, it's nothing more important than keeping an eye on all of the workers to make sure we're performing the work task correctly and it without risk. 

The first step of the BBS is (i) to introduce yourself to the crew, then (ii) explain to them what are you going to do (doing a safety observation on behavior-based safety, letting them know that you are not there to interrupt their work, and there's no finger-pointing, there are no repercussions, this is just observations in ways to improve the company safety program, you also want to (iii) focus on for 20 minutes, you will have a picture of what they're doing correctly and what needs improvement. 

Start the discussion with positive things for example: “you're wearing full PPE, hard hats, steel-toe boots, safety glasses, earplugs if you need them, you are all communicating well with one another, keep up the good job!”, and when we're providing feedback make sure that you're giving them the positive first such as the improvement as far as good housekeeping. Then talk about what needs improvement for example tools arrangement like: “I saw a couple of shovels lying down” or “maybe it will be better if the move fire extinguisher from the sidewalk”, then always end with a positive appreciation like: “You're doing good work! Thank you to everyone and keep helping each other and have a good day”. 

The objective of behavior-based safety is to integrate safety into the daily work, and create an even flow between safety and getting the work accomplished involving and engaging all of the workers as active observers and when we do this, safety just becomes natural.

Human Factor: Emotions

As a supervisor, you may know some personal information about your people; like family, special interests, and other things they care about. 

When doing Step 4: Ask, you can make them explore the risks associated with the behavior and become aware of the potential consequences. If you have a good relationship based on confidence, you might use this advantage to move them to change their behavior, use questions like: “What would happen to your family if you get hurt?” or "How would you feel if you could not play soccer anymore?”

Now let's talk about obstacles or barriers you might find in implementing the Behavior-based safety program, in other words, why people do not intervene?

• We just want to be popular and avoid confrontation.
• People do not feel comfortable when they are corrected by others.
• People do not want interference from others while working.
• Many people prefer to write up rather than talk face-to-face with other people.
• People may feel embarrassed when they are intervened.
• People are reluctant to intervene with their seniors if they are engaged in at-risk behavior. 
• You do not know how the person you intervene with will react.

Consequences of not intervening

If you observe an unsafe act or an at-risk behavior and do not intervene you are condoning that at-risk behavior and you will make the other person believe that his or her unsafe behavior is correct to be practiced and is perfectly acceptable. 

After you have observed an unsafe behavior, you must not yield to the temptation of not intervening, you know that the problem will not go away. You must intervene right away to show your commitment to the company policy regarding safety. As a supervisor, never indulge yourself in at-risk behavior. Lead by example. Otherwise, you will lose all of your credibility.

How to influence people

There are different ways to influence someone’s behavior. You can use Fear, Punishment, or encouragement to try to influence people to act safely. Fear and Punishment only work when people know that you are watching them. Encouragement, on the other hand, is very effective in changing behaviors permanently and far more powerful than, criticism, fear, or punishment as proved by research psychologists. 

Remember how you were encouraged as a child and how now, if you are a parent, you encourage your own children to do something or behave in a certain way. You instinctively praise your children every time they do a certain action or display a certain behavior that you are trying to promote. You must use the same principle at work to encourage people to behave safely.

Your own Behavior

Human beings may react differently when they are intervened. As a matter of fact, a lot depends upon your own behavior while intervening. Your behavior must always be fair and professional. Treat the other person in the same way as you would like yourself to be treated. 

Behavior always breeds behavior. People will tend to match the behavior you present to them. Even if you are the supervisor of the person that you are intervening with, being aggressive may make the intervention look powerful but it is not effective at all in the long run.

Additional Materials:

• Courageous Safety Leadership
• Essential Practices for Process Safety Culture
• How to Adopt a Lean Culture to Your Safety Program 
• How to Inspire Your Workers to Work Safety 
• Leading a Positive Safety Culture
• Negative Reinforcement
• Positive and Negative Reinforcement and Punishment
• Reducing Error and Influencing Behaviour
• Safety Culture
• The Handbook of Mentoring

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