Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) is a process aimed at reinforcing the daily behaviors of employees and leadership through safety observations, reducing the risks of workplace accidents.
Regardless of the size of the organization, applying BBS requires a dynamic and innovative team that evaluates and implements actions to continuously improve the occupational safety management system.
The idea is that employees themselves can manage safety by identifying, understanding, and measuring risks. Subsequently, they are expected to take actions that reduce the chances of accidents through behavior change.
It is essential to ensure the commitment of top management and leaders, as well as the adherence of frontline workers. Participation from everyone is crucial to align with the program’s objectives—otherwise, your initiative to create and maintain a BBS will likely fail.
During the initial planning stage of the program, gather a team of professionals already familiar with behavior-based safety to help with the program and determine success measures.
The Origin of Behavior-Based Safety
The BBS process originated with the work of Herbert William Heinrich, a pioneer in the field of industrial safety. He conducted research that resulted in the theory that up to 95% of workplace accidents are caused by what he calls “unsafe acts or behaviors.”
His efforts led to the publication of his main book: “Industrial Accident Prevention – A Scientific Approach.” His writings hit the market in 1931, transforming the view of occupational safety since then.
In the book, Heinrich sought to determine the frequency of workplace accidents in U.S. companies at the time. From an analysis of the data obtained, he concluded the following: for every 300 workplace accidents that do not result in injury, 29 end in minor injuries, and one ends in serious consequences.
From this, he began to encourage employers to control the hazard elements of their factories, rather than focusing on worker behavior. Until then, employees were held solely responsible for their accidents—without considering the risks they were exposed to.
Evolution of Behavior-Based Safety
Over the decades, Heinrich’s ideas evolved. Engineer Frank Bird Jr., for example, developed Bird’s Pyramid based on his studies.
He evaluated 90,000 workplace accidents that occurred between 1959 and 1966 at the Luckens Steel mill. From this evaluation, he concluded a rate of 100 minor injuries and one serious injury for every 500 accidents without injury.
The term “behavior-based safety” is said to have been coined by Gene Earnest and Jim Palmer, two professionals in the field of occupational safety. This happened in the 1970s when they were looking for a way to reduce injuries at Proctor & Gamble, the company they worked for.
Other important researchers in the field were E. Scott Geller and Dan Petersen. The latter wrote 17 books on the subject before his death in 2007. Depending on whom you ask, Dan Petersen is also credited as the inventor of BBS.
Benefits of BBS
Behavior-based safety is a proactive approach that focuses on identifying the attitudes that result in accidents and injuries. This allows organizations to achieve significant improvements in their safety performance, reduce accidents, and promote a positive safety culture.
In a good BBS program, employees play an active role in identifying and resolving health risks. This participation not only encourages the creation of a safer work environment but also fosters a culture of collective responsibility.
The main benefits of the BBS program include:
- Shared vision of a “zero accidents” culture;
- Significant reduction in accidents;
- Employee involvement and teamwork;
- Positive reinforcement instead of blame for mistakes;
- Consolidation of an efficient safety culture;
- Direct and active involvement and support from top management and managerial levels.
Pillars of Behavior-Based Safety
BBS has seven main pillars that your organization needs to follow in the quest to eliminate workplace accidents. They were developed based on three elements described by researcher E. Scott Geller: internal personal factors, external environmental factors, and behavioral factors.
These aspects need to be present at all times for your company to have a total safety culture. This all forms an integrated approach that uses both individual and organizational behavior to achieve the desired result.
Here are the seven pillars of behavior-based safety:
- Identification of External Influences: Recognize factors such as the work environment, tools, and social dynamics that impact employee behaviors.
- Emphasis on Positive Outcomes: Highlight and recognize positive behaviors, encouraging employees to continue taking these actions.
- Exploration of Diverse Possibilities: Be open to different approaches and continuously test new ideas. Use the data collected to validate your hypotheses and refine your program.
- Employee Emotions and Perspectives: Consider the attitudes and feelings of your employees when creating your BBS program. Create a supportive environment and address employee concerns.
- Visible Behavioral Interventions: Actions should be clear and easily observable. This ensures that employees will understand them and know which behaviors are being encouraged.
- Past Actions as a Guide: Antecedents are triggers that provoke specific behaviors. By taking positive actions, you can direct your employees to take beneficial actions for everyone.
- Quantifiable and Impartial BBS: Your program should have clear metrics to measure success and be free of biases. This ensures that it will be fair and effective in the eyes of everyone.
How to Implement a Behavior-Based Safety Program
To implement an effective behavior-based safety program, your organization must establish a safety culture that follows these steps:
1. Observation
At this stage, evaluate how employees perform their tasks daily. Observers need to be employees trained in conducting workplace safety analysis and experienced in the tasks they are observing.
It is important that the entire organization is aware of the observation period. This prevents the situation from being perceived as a “trap” by employees.
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2. Checklist
A verification checklist form can help guide observers with a focus on employee actions, approaches, and attitudes.
This checklist should have questions associated with the context of a behavior-based safety program. Some topics covered may include employee actions and decisions regarding ergonomics, personal protective equipment (PPE), tools and equipment, work area, procedures, fall protection, and chemical use.
3. Feedback
Feedback should be given during or after the observation. Praising good behavior encourages people to continue these practices. Similarly, the observer can interrupt and correct undesirable or unsafe behaviors as they are observed. This helps break the barriers of bad habits.
Encourage observers to maintain clear communication with workers, recording the reasons that led these professionals to exhibit unsafe behaviors.
After completing the observation and sharing the feedback in its entirety, the observer should send the comments from that period to the appropriate team. They will then take actions to ensure that good behavior continues.
It is important to remember that the goal of a BBS program is to correct rather than punish unsafe behaviors.
4. Goals
As with any program, setting goals is an essential activity to ensure its effectiveness. Some objectives that can be applied to your program include reducing incidents that could have caused accidents or having 100% of employees correctly using their personal protective equipment (PPE).
The important thing here is that the goals are measurable and tangible. Having manageable objectives with an action plan will increase the likelihood of a BBS program being successful and ensure everyone’s involvement.
Conclusion
Completing the implementation of a behavior-based safety (BBS) program is not just the end of a process but the beginning of a continuous journey towards excellence in workplace safety.
By adopting BBS, your company commits to creating a culture where each employee becomes an active advocate for safety, identifying risks and adopting safe behaviors as a natural part of their daily routine.
The success of BBS depends on a collective and continuous effort, where everyone is committed to the common goal of reducing incidents and promoting a safer work environment.
With the consistent application of BBS pillars, regular feedback, and clear goals, your company can reduce accident rates and strengthen the culture of collaboration at all levels of the organization.
In short, by implementing BBS, you invest in a future where safety is an integral part of your company’s DNA, creating a safer, more productive, and sustainable work environment for everyone.
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