BEHAVIOR-BASED

SAFETY

JOEL B. ELLO
Occupational Safety & Health Consultant
Rationale
98% of accidents result from
unsafe behaviors
Change behavior to stop
accidents
Repeated behaviors mean
permanent change
Objective
Discuss the BBS process
Understand psychology behind
Adapt it to address safety
problems
BBS Defined
A wide range of processes,
programs, strategies, and tactics
Focus on changing
worker behaviors
Use applications of Worker
Human Behavior behaviors

Prevent work injuries

and illnesses
Underlying Principles
Behavior is the cause of most accidents
Consequences motivate behavior
What gets measured gets done
Feedback is essential to
improvement
Quality is built in early
in the process
Conversations change
organizations
Typical BBS Programs
Focus on “unsafe acts”
Use behavioral psychology
Involve employees
Create a systematic process:

- defines specific at-risk behaviors

- collects data through on-the-job observation
- encourages & supports safe behaviors through
feedback and reinforcement
- recognizes and rewards improvement
- requires visible management involvement
The BBS Process
1. Identify critical “at-risk” behaviors
2. Develop the observation checklist
3. Design the observation process
4. Conduct on-the-job
observations
 BEHAVIORS AND ARTIFACTS
If you don’t work safely here,
you get fired Safe workgroup/employee
of the month
stories symbols
Orientation training
to all newly hired,
visitors, contractors
Rituals Justification

Core power Allowing

Values employees to stop
the job on safety
grounds
of Behavior
Weekly safety
meetings which
Routines structures
all employees
Permit to Work
attend
systems

Controls
No. of risk assessments
completed

VISIBLE ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR PATTERNS

1. Identify critical at-risk
behaviors (behavioral
hazard analysis)

Incident/injury/near-miss reviews
Antecedent or incident reports
SOPs
Job hazard analysis
Employee interviews
Brainstorming
Combinations of these tools & methods
2. Develop the observation checklist

Based on the inventory of at-risk behaviors

Pinpoint target safe behaviors
May take a variety of formats
Should be easy to use
IMPORTANT: define behaviors with sufficient precision and get
agreement on the definition to establish consistency in observations
(ex. just what is meant by properly observed equipment SOPs)
 SAFETY OBSERVATION CHECKLIST

Observer/s: _________________________________ Date: __________ Time:

_________
Instructions: For each safe practice record "Yes" if the employees you observed were complying, and "No" if
the employees you observed were not complying with the target safe practice. Use the space at
the bottom of the form to record other safety-related items.

Category Target Behaviors Safe

Materials Handling Properly bundled materials during transport

Properly observed LO/TO procedures

Equipment Operation Followed equipment SOPs
Used machine guards
Tools Used hand tools correctly

PPE Wore the required eye protection properly

Wore the required footwear designated for the area
Housekeeping Cleaned oil spills immediately and efficiently
Properly disposed waste
General Safety Harnessed electrical cords
Removed heavy objects from overhead shelves
Total
%Safe = Safe /(Safe + Unsafe) X 100
Other Observations & Comments:
3. Design the observation process
Define the scope
- areas and people involved
- resources required
- time frames
- possible constraints & counteractions

Identify observers (agreed-upon criteria)

Address relevant issues
- training & preparation
- how to use the checklist
- how & when to observe
- management’s role & participation
- reinforcement programs to use
 4. Conduct on-the-job
observations.
1. Initial: record and study the critical behaviors to get
baseline data
2. Succeeding: measure program impact using before and
after comparisons
3. Observers provide feedback to workers focusing on
reinforcing safe behaviors
4. Steering committee reviews and evaluates checklist and
process
5. Draw up action plans to address problems encountered
6. Identify and remove barriers using observation data
 BBS Merits
1. Focus on human factors
2. Focus on behavior not the person
3. Safe and unsafe behaviors clearly defined
4. Organized process to improve behavior
5. High workforce participation
6. Passion & commitment stimulated
7. Inherent involvement supervisors
8. Obvious need for management support
 BBS Demerits

It is not foolproof
It is not a cure-all to safety
maladies
It is not easy
It is not cheap
It is not convenient
Requirements for Effective
BBS Implementation
1. Management & worker buy-in
2. Throw “old” safety attitudes & strategies
3. Process as improvement strategy
4. Program not a perfunctory strategy
5. Keep the program “pure”
6. Continuous financial commitment
7. Ample time & resources
8. Do not penalize workers for “work time”
spent on the process
Implementation Problems & Issues

Arise from
Attempts to shortcut
the process
Attempts to minimize
resources required
Lack understanding of
underlying principles
1. Workforce buy-in lacking
Not involved in decision making
Not adequately informed
Not consulted about target
behaviors
Feel uncomfortable with
observation-feedback process

Implementation Problems & Issues

2. Checklists don’t target accident-
causing behaviors
Records not analyzed correctly
Involved unsafe behavior not
specific
Safe/unsafe behaviors not precisely
defined
True causes often overlooked
Focus shifted to conditions rather than
behaviors
Workflow processes or tasks defined as
behaviors
Implementation Problems & Issues
3. Percentage safe scores do not
reflect shop floor reality

Workers not honest in

reporting
Workers tend to
project positive
picture
Observation samplings
not random Implementation Problems & Issues
4. The implemented process
breaches its underlying philosophy

People’s names
recorded
People were
“disciplined” for not
behaving according to
checklist behaviors
Implementation Problems & Issues
5. Target setting meetings not
effectively conducted

No sufficient preparation
Not ideal locations, schedule
Insufficient opportunities to
express views
Not follow ground rules for
effective meetings
Implementation Problems & Issues
6. Feedback system faulty
or lacking

No standardized process
No computerized data
calculation & analysis
Feedback sessions not
regular
Remedial actions not closed
“A lot of effort for very
little payback”
7. Ongoing management
support is lacking

Management does not

see themselves as
part of the problem
Management did not
get involved in the
process
Insights
What impresses you most about BBS?
How might BBS be useful
to your organization?
What is your next move after
knowing about BBS?