Behavior Management Safety
(Behavior Based Safety)
Objectives
Understand the benefits of behavior-based
systems.
Enumerate principles of how to motivate
safe behavior.
Assist in developing company’s readiness
for behavior-based safety.
“Fallacies or Realities” in
Safety Fables?
Conditions cause accidents!
Enforcing rules improves safety!
Safety professionals can keep workers
safe!
Low accident rates indicate safety
programs are working well!
Investigating to find the root cause of
accidents will improve safety!
Awareness training improves safety!
Rewards improve safety!
Core Elements in Successful
Safety Programs
A culture that says “safety” is
important around here!
A tight accountability system!
What is BBS?
Application of science of behavior change
to real world safety problems.
A process that creates a safety partnership
between management and employees that
continually focuses people's attentions and
actions on theirs, and others, daily safety
behavior.
Behavior Based Safety: What Is It?
• An excellent tool for collecting data on the quality
of a company’s safety management system
• A scientific way to understand why people behave
the way they do when it comes to safety
• Properly applied, an effective next step towards
creating a truly pro-active safety culture where
loss prevention is a core value
• Conceptually easy to understand but often hard to
implement and sustain
Behavior Based Safety: What It Is Not!
• Only about observation and feedback
• Concerned only about the behaviors of line employees
• A substitution for traditional risk management techniques
• About cheating & manipulating people & aversive control
• A focus on incident rates without a focus on behavior
• A process that does not need employee involvement
Obstacles To Success:
Poorly Maintained Facilities
Top-down Management Practices
Poor Planning/Execution
Inadequate Training
Keys to Success:
Meaningful Employee
Empowerment
Designing a Well Planned and
Supported BBS Process
Managing BBS Process with
Integrity
Turn & Talk
What kinds of injuries
and accidents are
common at your
workplace?
Compliance is necessary but not
sufficient for great safety.
Safety is about people, and
behavior is the challenge.
Traditional Safety
Safety
Training Slogans R
R Policies
e e
p g
r u
i Fewer l
a
m Accidents
a t
n i
d o
s n
Safety Contests s
Committees
Meetings &
& Councils
Awards
Behavior Based Safety
Safety
Activities
Fewer at-risk
Behaviors
Fewer
Accidents
Organizational Performance Model
Systems Behaviors
Great
Performance
Climate
Systems
• Accountability • Orientation
• Communication • Training
• Decision Making • Employment
• Measurement • Auditing
Behaviors
Honesty and
Integrity Observation
and feedback
Ask for help Trust
without taking
responsibility
Listen with
empathy
Recognition
Climate Variables
Confidence/trust
Interest in people
Understanding
problems
Training/helping
Teaching to solve
problems
Much information
Approachability
Recognition
- Rensis Likert
Human behavior is both:
Observable
Measurable
therefore
Behavior can be managed !
Attitudes
Are inside a person’s head -
therefore they are not
observable or measurable
however
Attitudes can be changed by
changing behaviors
ABC Model
Antecedents
(trigger behavior)
Behavior
(human performance)
Consequences
(either reinforce or punish behavior)
Definitions:
Activators: A person, place,
thing or event that happens
before a behavior takes place
that encourages you to
perform that behavior.
Activators only set the stage
for behavior or performance -
they don’t control it.
Some examples of activators
Definitions:
Behavior: Any directly measurable
thing that a person does, including
speaking, acting, and performing
physical functions.
Some examples of behavior:
Definitions:
Consequences: Events that follow
behaviors.
Consequences increase or decrease the
probability that the behaviors will occur
again in the future.
If you don’t send in that
Oh please let it be Bob! payment we’ll take you to
court
Some example of Consequences:
Only 4 Types of Consequences:
Positive Reinforcement (R+)
("Do this & you'll be rewarded")
Negative Reinforcement (R-)
("Do this or else you'll be penalized")
Behavior
Punishment (P)
("If you do this, you'll be penalized")
Extinction (E)
("Ignore it and it'll go away")
Consequences need to be ...
Soon vs Delayed
Certain Personal
vs vs
Uncertain Organizational
Positive vs Negative
Both Positive (R+) &
Negative (R-) Reinforcement
Can Increase Behavior
R+ : any consequence that follows a behavior
and increases the probability that the behavior
will occur more often in the future - You get
something you want
R- : a consequence that strengthens any
behavior that reduces or terminates the
behavior - You escape or avoid something you
don’t want
Good safety
R+ suggestion Joe! Keep
bringing ‘em up!
One more report like
this and you’re outa
here!!
R-
31
The Behavior Based Safety Challenge:
To create conditions that encourage
people to collaborate because they want
Let’s do
to it!!
not because they have to
Motivation
• Motivation is built on a solid corporate
culture
6a
Motivation
• Some examples of motivational influences:
– an individual’s self worth
– a secure work environment
– desire for achievement
– desire for recognition
– how employees feel about their jobs in
general
6b
Motivation
• Lack of motivation often centers around
attitudinal problems
• Address the motivational influences to
increase energy and enthusiasm
6d
Motivation
• Key motivational points include:
– asking employees for their input
– holding morale-building meetings
– providing employees with the tools they need
to do their work
– recognizing personal needs
6e
Motivation
• Key motivational points include:
– providing employees with challenging tasks
– privately recognizing employees for good
work
– fostering a sense of community at your facility
6f
Benefits of
Behavior-based Approaches
•Improved job satisfaction
•Improved employee health and well
being
•Reduced costs (medical/absenteeism
•Reduced or eliminated cost of
compensation claims
•Better employee retention rates
•Improved safety awareness
•Improved safety practices
•Reduced accident/incident rates
Average Reduction
of Injury Frequency
• Implementation of BBS
• After 1 year 34%
• After 2 years 44%
• After 3 years 61%
• After 4 years 71%
Safety Intervention Strategies
(By NSC)
Approach # of Studies # of Subjects Reduction %
Behavior Based 7 2,444 59.6%
Ergonomics 3 n/a 51.6%
Engineering Change 4 n/a 29.0%
Problem Solving 1 76 20.0%
Gov’t Action 2 2 18.3%
Mgt. Audits 4 n/a 17.0%
Stress Management 2 1,300 15.0%
Poster Campaign 2 6,100 14.0%
Personnel Selection 26 19,177 3.7%
Near-miss Reports 2 n/a 0%
Why Implement BBS?
• Safety is about people.
• Compliance is not sufficient.
• Consequences drive behavior.
• Motivating
• Performance Feedback
Why Implement BBS?
• Truly proactive
• Broad awareness
• Deep Involvement
• Proven effective
• Transcends workplace safety
Are You Ready
for
Behavior-Based Safety?
The “DO IT” process
• Define behaviors
• Observe behaviors
• Intervene
• Test the intervention
7a
Principles of
behavior-based safety
• Focus intervention on observable behavior
• Look for external factors to
understand/improve behaviors
• Direct with activators and motivate with
consequences
8a
Principles of
behavior-based safety
• Focus on positive consequences to
motivate behavior
• Apply the scientific method to improve
intervention
8b
Principles of
behavior-based safety
• Use theory to integrate information, not to
limit possibilities
• Design interventions with consideration of
internal feelings and attitudes
8c
Summary
Behavior-based safety
• Reflects a proactive approach to safety
and health management
• Reflects a proactive approach to injury
prevention
9a
Summary
Behavior-based safety
• Focuses on at-risk behaviors that can lead
to injury
• Focuses on safe behaviors that can
contribute to injury prevention
• Is an injury prevention process
9b
Thank you.
TIPS for SUCCESSFUL BBS
PROGRAM
• Fully engage employees to the
significance of behavioral safety. Set
standards for all employees at all levels for
participation in safe behavior.
• Careless small behaviors lead to the
magnitude of accidents and injuries.
Targeting specific behaviors and creating
a checklist approved by all employees for
input creates workplace involvement in
safe behaviors.
• Training employees to lead as safety
monitors and active observation and
reporting promotes employee engagement
and compliance.
• Historical review of previous injuries and
accidents provide data-driven results for
decision making for change
implementation.
• Improvement intervention through a
systematic observation by employees with
regular meetings and brainstorming will
incorporate continuity of safety based
behavior. Provide evaluations to
employees on individual practices and
safety behavior.
• Key leadership commitment is important to
provide mentoring and examples for
employees to commit to the idea of
working in an environment dedicated to
safe behavior.
