What Is Behavioural Safety?

Behavioural Safety is an important part of safety that unsurprisingly focuses on people’s behaviour.

Why Do We Need It?

Traditional safety firstly focuses on hardware, equipment, housekeeping, tools, machinery guarding and the like. This is critical of course, and helps us achieve SAFE CONDITIONS and a SAFE PLACE OF WORK.

The natural next step is to work on procedures, instructions, and safe methods of work, Permits to Work and so on. This is all about SAFE SYSTEMS OF WORK

Even where companies have put all this in place, there is evidence that accidents and injuries are still happening at work. Companies that have done all of this have realised that at some point the safety performance stops improving – it levels out. They have realised you cannot achieve zero injuries without tackling behaviour as well.

Even if you had the best systems and procedures in the world, and the most immaculate and tidy workplace, injuries will still occur if people break the rules, defeat guards, take short cuts, don’t wear their PPE and so on.

At least 95% of injuries at work have an element of unsafe behaviour – the things we should do but don’t, or don’t do when we should.

On the positive side, because it’s PEOPLE that have accidents, and PEOPLE that cause accidents, it’s also PEOPLE that can prevent them, hence the role of BEHAVIOURAL SAFETY as well as the other things described above.

Why Do People Behave Unsafely?

There are many, many reasons…

· Sometimes people don’t have the tools and equipment to do the job safely. (Sometimes they do have the tools and equipment, but don’t use them)
· Sometimes the rules and procedures haven’t been put in place. (Sometimes they have, but people don’t follow them)
· Sometimes they feel under pressure for production and safety gets compromised.
· Sometimes people take shortcuts because it’s easier, simpler, saves time
· Sometimes they’re just not thinking. Or they’re tired, stressed, distracted, unwell or preoccupied. (We’re only human after all!)
· Sometimes we see people behaving unsafely, but we don’t say anything or do anything.

So, What Do We Do?

There are only 2 types of unsafe behaviour

· Those we don’t recognise as unsafe
· Those we ignore

Firstly, we need to be clear on the safe behaviours we expect of people so it is clear what’s acceptable and what’s not. And we need to enforce it.

Secondly, we need to have a workplace where we never ever ignore an unsafe act. Whenever we see somebody doing something where they’re at risk, we say something, or do something.

Is It That Simple?

No, clearly if it was that simple we would have done it already! It actually goes much deeper, to the CULTURE in the workplace. Management have to do their part, in creating a culture where SAFETY is valued higher than anything, even production.

NOBODY COMES TO WORK TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT

NOTHING is worth being hurt for.

NOTHING is so important we cannot take the time to do it safely.

How Do We Improve?

One of the best ways to improve things is to talk about what we see in the workplace.  It’s about watching people work, looking for safe acts and unsafe acts, and having a discussion about what we’ve seen. The aim is to stop people being hurt at work. We can do this by talking to people, by getting them involved, by understanding the concerns they have and the real issues they face on the shop floor.

Does It Work?

There is plenty of evidence from companies using behavioural safety and seeing dramatic improvements in their safety performance. WE can improve the safety performance here by getting involved in behavioural safety.

About the Author

Martin Woodall is a leading behavioural safety expert, delivering training and consultancy on a regular basis to a long list of major clients.  To get in touch or to book Martin, contact Lattitude on +44 (0)1435 831500 or e-mail martin@lattitudesafety.co.uk.  Visit the Lattitude Safety Consultancy website by clicking here.