Behaviour Based Safety (BBS):
Increasing safety awareness,
discussion & analysis
Presenter: Michelle Leeper P.GSC
What is Behaviour Based Safety?
Behavior Based Safety
• Behaviour based safety (BBS) creates a safety culture
that helps to identify safe behaviour
• For BBS to work, all levels of the company must work
together
• BBS looks at how three things interact to improve
safety
• Person
• Work Environment
• Behaviour
The Safety Triad
Behavior Based Safety
1. Actively improve Three elements of
environment and the safety triad:
workplace • Environment
conditions • Persons
2. Acknowledge &
• Behaviour
motivate safe
workers
3. Reduce at-risk
behaviours
Principles of BBS
Behavior Based Safety
• Behaviour causes accidents
• Observe – measure – manage
• Feedback is essential to improvement
• Consequences motivate behaviour
• Communication is the key
• Participation creates ownership
• Continuous improvement happens when we work
together
• Be proactive rather than reactive
Behaviour VS Attitude
Behavior Based Safety
• Behaviour: what you do
• Attitude: what you think, feel, or believe
• A bad attitude may result in committing an
unsafe act or failing to prevent an incident
Let’s Talk Barriers
Behavior Based Safety
Barriers to safe behavior:
• Untrained or unskilled workers
• Complacency
• Personal choice
• Culture
• Ineffective management systems
Why At-Risk Behaviors?
Behavior Based Safety
• Jobs get done faster
• Perception that risk is low
• “Nothing is going to happen to me” attitude
• At-risk behavior is reinforced
• Lack of awareness that behavior is risky
ABC Model
Behavior Based Safety
One way to look at how changing your behavior
can improve safety is the ABC Model:
A = Activator: triggers behavior
B = Behavior: what we do
C = Consequence: reinforcement or punishment
Attitude & Consequences
Behavior Based Safety
• Your attitude (the activator) affects how you
behave
• Your behaviour has consequences
• Consequences can either reinforce or deter a
behavior
• Positive reinforcement enforces safe behavior
• Negative reinforcement deters unsafe behavior
Training
Behavior Based Safety
BBS training attempts to reduce work-related injuries by
creating a culture of safe behavior through
• Observation
• Feedback
• Positive intervention
Building a BBS Program
Behavior Based Safety
Four Key Components to BBS Programs
1. Correct behavior
• Determine the safe way to do the job
2. Observation card
• Observe and record unsafe behaviors
3. Feedback process
• Deliver feedback immediately following an observation
4. Measurement tool
• BBS is an ongoing process
Observation Process
Behavior Based Safety
1. Observe
• Observe the job to make sure you understand what
the worker is doing and provide necessary feedback
2. Understand
• Communicate effectively; make sure the workers
understand why their behavior is unsafe
3. Identify alternate behavior
• Coach the worker in the correct, safe behavior and
allow change for safer way of getting the job done
Behavior Based Safety
Observation Process
4. Clarify commitment
• Make it clear that workers are committed to doing the
job safely through feedback and positive intervention
5. Obtain agreement
• Workers must agree to change unsafe behavior to an
alternate safe behavior
6. Observe to follow-up
• Observe workers at a later date to make sure they are
using the safe behavior; reinforce the safe behavior
with positive feedback
Feedback Process
Behavior Based Safety
Deliver feedback immediately following an observation:
• Safe behavior observed
• Feedback should acknowledge and reinforce it
• Unsafe behavior observed
• Identify cause of unsafe behavior
• Explain why the behavior was unsafe
• Offer an alternative safe behaviour
Measurement Tool
Behavior Based Safety
• BBS must be an ongoing process
• For BBS to work, everyone needs to be involved
• Companies that see results from BBS
• Keep up data entry
• Use performance charts
• Use observation reports
• Set specific safety goals
Motivation or “buy in”
Behavior Based Safety
• Motivation built on a solid culture (buy in from
leadership to workers)
• Key motivational points include:
• providing employees with the sense of “value”
• recognizing employees
for good work
• fostering a sense
of community
Positive Reinforcement
Behavior Based Safety
• Getting what you want
• Acknowledgement, recognition, better work
assignments
• Maintains or increases desired behavior
• Gives discretionary effort (more than asked)
• Behaviour occurs more frequently
Examples of BBS Tools
Behavior Based Safety
Many different types:
• Online
• Apps
• Paper Cards
• Pre packaged programs
BBS in action!
Get
Get Checklist
Checklist
Behavior Based Safety
Recognition
Recognition
Complete
and
and new
new
Observation
Observation
goals
Data
Data is
is Give
Analysed
Analysed Feedback
Turn
Turn In
In
Checklist
Behavior Based Safety
Behavior Based Safety
Behaviour Based Safety:
Increases efficiency
Increases productivity
Increases morale
Increases profitability
Questions?
