What Is Behavioral Safety?

Terry E. McSween, Ph.D.
President, Quality Safety Edge

Behavioral safety, or what is sometimes referred to as behavior-based safety, is simply the use of behavioral psychology to promote safety. Behavioral safety within an organization typically involves creating a systematic, ongoing process that defines a finite set of behaviors that reduce the risk of work-related injury, collecting data on the frequency of critical safety practices, and then ensuring that feedback and reinforcement encourage and support those critical safety practices. In a typical behavioral process, employees conduct observations and provide feedback to associates within their work areas. These observations provide data that is used for problem recognition, problem-solving, and continuous improvement.

Today's behavioral safety initiatives also draw heavily on traditions of total quality management (TQM) and organizational development. Behavioral safety involves employees in both conducting observations within their work areas and participating in teams that analyze the resulting data, and then developing action plans targeting improvements in safe practices. Quality Safety Edge (QSE) has developed what we term Values-Based Safety®, a proven approach that utilizes a behavioral approach to clarify and strengthen the values necessary to sustain successful safety process.

Readiness Assessment

Before beginning Values-Based Safety®, QSE conducts a brief readiness assessment to ensure that the organization has the necessary leadership foundation to support behavioral safety. The assessment entails interviewing a representative sample of personnel and reviewing safety data and documents (such as procedures, descriptions of other safety initiatives, and incident summaries). This helps QSE to become familiar with site concerns, safety management practices, and historical facts to help customize the process for client organizations. It also enables QSE to get acquainted with site personnel and thereby identify appropriate Design Team members. At the end of the assessment, QSE meets with the management team to discuss findings and plan the path forward.

The Design Process

Most organizations charter a Design Team to take responsibility for planning and implementing behavioral safety. The team is typically made up of eight to ten employees along with a representative from both supervision and the safety department. QSE conducts an initial workshop and then facilitates several meetings to complete implementation planning. The Design Team typically completes six steps in the implementation process:

• Identify behaviors critical to safety
• Design the observation and coaching process
• Plan how the data will be used
• Plan recognition and celebrations to support the process
• Plan the training and kick-off process
• Develop a plan for maintaining the process

Following management's approval of the plans, the Design Team implements the process. Next it forms a Steering Committee that oversees the process and uses the data from ongoing observations of the process as the basis for continual improvement.

Safety Champion Workshops

QSE trains all employees in the basic elements of Values-Based Safety®. This eight-hour workshop includes an overview of the client's behavioral safety process, the mission and values identified by the Design Team, and using a carefully designed observation checklist to coach fellow employees in improved safety practices.

Values-Based Safety Leadership

QSE also conducts a one-day workshop with managers and supervisors to clarify their role in supporting the new behavioral safety process. During the workshop, these leaders:

• Learn about the principles underlying the behavioral safety process
• Operationalize their company safety values for all supervisors and managers
• Develop skills in monitoring and reinforcing employee involvement in the process
• Develop observation checklists for leadership practices
• Plan the integration of the new process with existing processes and for allocating resources

Follow Up and Support

After implementation, QSE works with the Steering Committee to ensure proper maintenance and support of the new process by conducting follow-up observations monthly for the first three months and again at the end of the first six months. During these meetings, QSE works with the Steering Committee to develop action plans based on data from the observation process. In addition, education and skill-development continue with additional modules on analyzing data, problem solving and action planning, enhancing participation, and the use of reinforcement.

Other Options

While this provides a brief overview of a typical behavioral safety process, QSE also offers a variety of other services including:

• Economic and costs benefit analyses
• Train-the-trainer workshops and materials
• Internal consultant training and support
• Leadership development
• Performance management
• State of the art software for tracking observation data

We are eager to help you implement Values-Based Safety® or provide other services to address the specific needs of your organization!