Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) programs are highly effective in improving workplace safety. By observing and assessing employees’ behavior while they perform their tasks, BBS (also known as safety observations) helps minimize human errors and enhances overall safety.
BBS plays a critical role in understanding why at-risk behaviors occur on the job and outlines the necessary procedures to transform these behaviors into safe ones. The BBS approach promotes safety through educational materials, activities, and observations that distinguish safe from unsafe actions. It also provides positive or corrective feedback to encourage safer behavior.
Simplicity in Activities
For a BBS program to be successful, data entry must be straightforward, and there needs to be a feedback loop between the “shop floor” and management. Employees should be able to communicate their observations—both positive and negative—in a simple and clear manner.
If your company already uses safety management software that enables employees to easily report incidents, accidents, near misses, and observations, you’re on the right track. With systems that allow workers to submit concerns through desktop portals or mobile devices, you’re making significant strides in involving everyone in maintaining safety and promoting awareness.
Deriving Actionable Insights
The BBS methodology emphasizes documenting both safe and risky observations. By gathering and analyzing this data, management can take preventive actions to address potential hazards before they lead to an incident. Unlike incident reporting, which requires time to collect enough data for useful analysis, BBS programs encourage frequent observation, generating large volumes of data for analysis.
Collecting data is only useful if it can be acted upon, and that’s where effective safety tools come in. Analytical software can help safety leaders turn data into actionable insights, making it easier to track trends and address issues before they escalate.
Software like Core EHS Behavior-Based Safety software allows users to collect and analyze EHS event data, including BBS observations, to proactively improve performance. By analyzing BBS data alongside near-miss and incident reports, safety professionals can uncover potential correlations, offering deeper insights into areas for improvement.
Taking Necessary Corrective Actions
Having a system to establish and track Corrective Actions (CAs) is essential in addressing unsafe behaviors. CAs should be assigned to the responsible employees to ensure that corrective steps are taken. Software solutions can consolidate CAs along with compliance activities, audit results, and safety profiles to give a comprehensive view of the organization’s safety status.
To assess your needs, consider the following questions:
- Why is there a discrepancy in performance?
- Is a change necessary?
- Are there unspoken expectations that need clarification?
- How can you receive feedback based on your actions?
- What are the potential consequences of unsafe behavior?
- Is there a gap in employee skills?
- Can the task be made simpler or safer?
- Is the person performing the task qualified?
- What type of training is required?
- Which solutions provide the most value for the least effort?
Once the conditions and behaviors are understood, and the risks are determined, CAs can be defined and tracked to completion. It is crucial to handle and share CAs within the organization to foster a safety-conscious culture. Software systems that use reminders and alerts can ensure that CAs are completed on time, helping to reinforce accountability. Analyzing and trending CAs can further enhance safety measures by identifying recurring issues.
The Bigger Picture
Behavior-Based Safety should be seen as one component of a comprehensive safety strategy. It is most effective when integrated into a larger framework that focuses on building a strong safety culture. This can be achieved through worker training, safety audits, regular inspections, and actively engaging staff in safety-related initiatives.
However, BBS systems play a vital role in this larger strategy. They are most effective when reporting is easy, data collection is consistent, and safety leaders have the tools they need to interpret and act on the data. By choosing the right solution, you can significantly improve your organization’s safety performance.
For more information on safety software and how it can help improve your organization’s safety culture, visit Core EHS Safety Software.