BEHAVIORAL SAFETY 501
ASSE CENTRAL FLORIDA CHAPTER
JUNE 7, 2010
Michael O’Toole, PhD
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
BEHAVIORAL SAFETY 501

Behavior Based Safety
 Where
did it come from?
 Origins in psychology
 B.F.
Skinner/Watson/Thorndike
Michael O'Toole, PhD
ABC’S OF SUCCESS
ANTECEDENTS
What triggers or
causes behaviors?
BEHAVIORS
What it is that the
employee does
MEASUREMENT & FEEDBACK
HOW AM I DOING?
CONSEQUENCES
What follows the
behavior?
Positive+
Negative-
BEHAVIORAL SAFETY 501

Behavioral Safety
 Any
number of approaches that focus on the
behaviors of employees
 Identify
and correct unsafe/at-risk behaviors before an
incident
 All attempt to use some form of observation of employee
job performance
Supervisors
 Peers
 Self

Michael O'Toole, PhD
BEHAVIORAL SAFETY 501

Keys to a successful BBS process
 Planning
 Like

a good story
Who, what, where, when, why and how
 Who
is going to champion the process?
 Who is going to manage the process?
 Who is going to conduct observations?
 Who is going to ensure follow-up?
Michael O'Toole, PhD
Six Critical Elements of a Behavior Based
Safety Process Include….
Leadership
Commitment
Training
Communications
Reduce
Incidents
Measurement
Reinforcement
Process
Management
BEHAVIORAL SAFETY 501

Why conduct structured observations?
 Leverages
“behavior sampling” to paint a clearer
picture of risks
 Provides more objective data on which to guide
continuous improvement of the organization’s
safety and health processes
 Further clarifies expectations related to safety and
health aspects for both supervisor and employee
Michael O'Toole, PhD
BEHAVIORAL SAFETY 501
 What
jobs or tasks are we going to observe?
 Injury
or property damage history
 High risk high hazard jobs
 High frequency jobs
 Intermittent jobs
 Need
to have a standard
 Standard
Operating Procedures
 Equipment manuals
 Regulations
 Consensus standards

ANSI, NFPA, ASTM, etc
Michael O'Toole, PhD
BEHAVIORAL SAFETY 501

Who and How are observations to be completed?

By supervisors
 Advantages




Part of their job
Basic responsibility to ensure safety of workers
Additional avenue to demonstrate management’s support
Increases employee involvement
 Disadvantages


Another burden
Tool to “get” employees

Deflect blame
Michael O'Toole, PhD
BEHAVIORAL SAFETY 501

Who and How are observations to be completed?

By Peers
 Advantages



Less of a threat
Familiar with how the job “is really done”
Opportunity for increased safety engagement
 Disadvantages

Less objective



Won’t “rat out” peers
Pencil whipping paperwork
Fail to make connection with improved safety
Michael O'Toole, PhD
BEHAVIORAL SAFETY 501

Who and How are observations to be
completed?
 Self-observations
 Advantages
No additional personnel
 Forces reflection on task procedures
 Cognitive dissonance

 Disadvantages
Deception
 Pencil whipping
 Fear of reprisal

Michael O'Toole, PhD
BEHAVIORAL SAFETY 501

When are observations to be completed?
 Depends
on the size of the organization.
 Daily
– too often?
 Weekly – balanced?
 Monthly – not often enough?

Where are observations to be completed?
 At
the site/location where the task is being
performed.
Michael O'Toole, PhD
BEHAVIORAL SAFETY 501

How are observations to be compiled?
 Paper
and pencil
 Manually

 PDA
Database or spreadsheet
data logger
 Data

entered into computer
are transferred into computer database
OR…NOT AT ALL!
Michael O'Toole, PhD
BEHAVIORAL SAFETY 501

Behavior Based Safety…or not?
 Not
a silver bullet
 Not a program….it is a process
 All
else must be in good shape
 Must
“fit” the organization’s culture
 Must be integrated into already successful safety
and health processes
Michael O'Toole, PhD
BEHAVIORAL SAFETY 501

Disadvantages
 Becomes
a program  flavor of the month
 Perceived by employees as another means to shift
blame to employees
 Game the system
 Achieving
the target is the focus rather than true
continuous improvement
 Becomes
a bureaucratic nightmare
 Doesn’t fit the organization’s culture
 Seen as a fix to all the unsolved problems
Michael O'Toole, PhD
BEHAVIORAL SAFETY 501

Advantages
 Increases
Management’s opportunity to visibly
demonstrate support for safety
 Increases opportunities for all employees to be
more engaged and participative in the safety and
health process
 Provides employees and the organization valuable
feedback for continuous improvement
 Provides critical leading indicators of safety
performance
Michael O'Toole, PhD
PEOPLE WITHOUT A BBS SYSTEM
Questions?
Michael O'Toole, PhD
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