BBS Safety

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SAND2011-0487C

Behavior Based Safety


(BBS)
What is Behavior Based Safety?

Behavior is “the manner of conducting oneself.”*

Therefore, behaviors are observable acts.

Behavior Based Safety focuses on behaviors that


promote safety.

* Merriam-Webster dictionary
Behavior Based Safety is NOT:

• A fully-developed safety program.


– It is a process designed to eliminate behaviors that put
workers at risk and enhance existing safety protocols.

• A process used to enforce safety rules, nor to correct


hazardous conditions.
– Safety rule violations and hazardous workplace
conditions must be corrected outside of the BBS
process.

• A process for assigning blame or criticizing workers.


How does BBS differ from traditional safety?

Traditional Safety…
• Is reactive – focuses on correcting problems only
after they have occurred.
• Searches for “root cause” of accidents
• Using incident/accident data from investigations
• e.g. Incident and Severity rate: TRCR/DART
• Focuses on making the working environment less
hazardous.
• Sometimes assigns blame to individuals.
• Emphasis on negative reinforcement.
How does BBS differ from traditional safety?

Behavior Based Safety…


• Is proactive – discourages ‘at-risk’ behaviors.
• Focuses on observing worker behavior.
– Common behaviors that place employees at risk
are noted and adjustments are made.
– Data come from behavioral observations.
• Has a holistic understanding of worker behavior.
– Notes the environment in which behavior occurs,
the behavior itself, and consequences of this
behavior.
Behavior Based Safety underlies and
benefits Traditional Safety
Accidents

Near Misses

Traditional Safety

Unsafe Unsafe
Acts Conditions

Behavior Based Safety


Always Keep in Mind…

BBS is focused on two concepts:


• BEHAVIOR
– What is behavior?
– What are the factors influencing “at-risk” behavior?
– How can this behavior be discouraged?
• RISK
– What is risk?
– Why do people take risks?
– What are the consequences of taking these risks?
Remember: Behavior is
“the manner of conducting oneself”
Behaviors cannot be isolated from the environment in
which they occur.

Behavior Environment

Therefore, if employees are expected to promote safe


practices the working environment must encourage
this behavior.
Risk = exposure x probability

Exposure – extent a person is involved in an activity.

Direct Indirect

Probability – the chances of an accident occurring during activity.

1 in 6 1 in 52
How do Consequences Affect
At-Risk Behavior?

Behavior Accident No
Probability Accident

Accident

Severity
Probability
Risk = exposure x probability
Consequence
Positive Consequences Influence
At-Risk Behavior

• Convenience
• Time savings
• Increased productivity
• Getting away with it
• Feeling bullet-proof

How does cheaper/better/faster


influence taking risks?
Worker’s reasons for taking a risk:
In my opinion . . . That’s the way I always do it!
In my experience . . . I don’t know.
I don’t think it’s a problem because . . . I didn’t think about it.
I’ve done it before and not gotten hurt. It’s the way we always do it around here.
What’s wrong with it?

BEHAVIORS

Limited Choice
Obstacle
I can’t do it any other way because . . .
It would be difficult to do it that way because . . .
If I do it that way, (this would happen).
Implementing Behavior
Based Safety
Prior to Implementation

Important to develop a BBS Committee and working


structure that persists after implementation:
– Designs the BBS process.
– Develops the implementation strategy.
– Implements the BBS process.
– Steers the BBS process.
• Assures observation and data quality through a Quality
Assurance Plan.
• Champions worker involvement and completion of
observations.
• Analyzes observation data to identify the causes of at-risk
behaviors and develops recommendations.
• Facilitates removal of barriers to workers being able to easily
perform work safely.
• Reports the results of data analysis.
Responsibilities of Managers & Supervisors
• Understand the process (receive training)
• Establish BBS as a part of the job
• Help identify and correct systems issues
• Remove barriers
• Support:
• Time for:
• Training
• BBS Committee duties and meetings
• Observations
• Encourage and provide positive reinforcement:
workers, observers, BBS Committee members
4 Steps of Implementation

The BBS implementation process consists of four


steps we will discuss in further detail:

1. Establish Feasible Goals


2. Develop Observation Checklists
3. Take observations
4. Provide Feedback
Step 1: Establish Feasible Goals

The overall purpose of BBS is to establish a culture of safety in


the working environment. However, attainable goals need to
exist in working toward this. Make goals SMART:

Specific – Motivational – Attainable – Relevant – Trackable

e.g. A goal of “zero-injuries” is NOT SMART, but a goal of 80%


participation in appropriate safety training is SMART.

Goals should focus on outcomes, NOT behaviors.


Step 1: Establish Feasible Goals

Employee participation in the goal-setting process


is important, and must continue throughout the
BBS process to ensure success. There are two
broad reasons for this:

1. “Employee buy-in” – verbal and nonverbal


support for change from those directly
affected.

2. Interpersonal trust – trust among employees,


and trust between employees and
management.
Step 2: Develop Observation Checklists
In looking for behaviors that encourage safe practice, there are
several options:

• Review past accident/incident reports to identify behavior that


could have prevented them.
– Focus on those that could have prevented the largest number of
accidents.

• Consult with employees and managers.


– It is important for employees to take responsibility for their actions.
– Beneficial for developing trust.

• Observe workers for a period of time.


Step 2: Develop Observation Checklists
Remember in developing the list that positive reinforcement is better for
employee participation (i.e. specify criteria for good performance).
Step 3: Observing

There are several decisions to be made when


selecting an observation method or methods:
• Who will observe?
– Self-observation
– Peer-to-peer
– Top-down
– Working groups
• Frequency of observations?
– Daily, bi-weekly, monthly
• How will feedback be given?
– Immediately
– Within a week
Observers Have…

Three main responsibilities:


– Gather data
• Observation data (Safe/Concern)
• Discussion data (What/Why)

– Give feedback
• Positive reinforcement for safe behaviors
• Provide coaching on concerns

– To remain objective/unbiased
Step 3: Observing

As an example, Sandia’s method of observation is:

• Peer-to-peer
• Anonymous (No Names/No Blame)
• Announced
• 5 minutes or less
• Provide feedback:
– Positive reinforcement for safe behaviors
– Coaching for behaviors of concern
• Identify obstacles
• Foster safety communication
An Observer’s Job is NOT:

• Ambush or spy on workers


• “Catch” people doing activities unsafely
• Criticize worker performance
• “Safety cop” (risks vs. rules; right vs. wrong;
safe vs. unsafe)
• Watch a whole task or job
• Force people to change
• Turn people in for discipline
• Identify conditions that don’t directly impact
critical behaviors
What happens with more observations?

Feedback Changes Behaviors


Observations per M onth # of Observations
A verage for Y ear

180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

M ont h
Fewer injuries!
Changed Behaviors Reduce Accidents
Recordables Per Month # of Reportables
Average for Year

0
Step 4: Providing Feedback
Providing feedback to workers in a timely manner is
important. Using multiple methods has proven
beneficial:

• Verbal - Immediate feedback during observations.


• Through reports written after observation data
collected.
• Posting graphs/charts where all can see.
• Having celebrations for milestones or providing other
incentives.

NOTE: It is important that workers are allowed time to adjust


their performance before being observed again.
An example of a “Green/Red” Chart from
the Observations of a Division at Sandia
Why Implement Behavior
Based Safety?
The BBS Process Closes the Gap
to “Nobody Gets Hurt”

• Focuses on the critical few precautions that would


prevent the most injuries
• Prioritizes actions to remove barriers
• Generates actionable data
• Provides positive reinforcement of safe behaviors
• Engages workers and management:
Worker driven/Management supported
BBS is proven to reduce injuries

• At 850+ companies injuries were reduced by


an average of:
• 37% after 1 year
• 66% after 2 years
• 87% after 3 years

• Multisite Success – See case study of BP’s


Fabrics and Fibers Business Unit (FFBU)
included in your extra materials.
The Benefits Outweigh the Costs

• What is the Return on Investment for BBS?


– Saves time, money, energy, and can improve
morale among employees and between employees
and managers.
– Costs of accidents/incidents are both direct and
indirect:
• Direct costs: investigation, production downtime,
medical expenses, damage to equipment or product,
repairs, legal costs, fines, etc.
• Indirect costs: employer/public liability, business
interruption, training replacements, loss of
goodwill/employee morale, negative public image.
Why Implement Behavior Based Safety?

Remember:

The Iceberg Theory

For every accident, there


are many “near misses”
that go unnoticed.
Sources
• M. Dominic Cooper. “Behavioral Safety Interventions: A review of process design
factors.” Safety Management. Feb 2009.
• Thomas E. Boyce and Horacio R. Roman. “Institutionalizing behavior-based sastey:
Theories, concepts, and practical suggestions.” The Behavior Analyst Today. Vol 3, No
1. April 2002.
• Jason DePasquale and E. Scott Geller. “Critical success factors for behavior-based
safety: A study of twenty industry-wide applications.” Journal of Safety Research. Vol
30, No 4. 1999.
• Beth Sulzer-Azaroff and John Austin. “Does BBS Work? Behavior-Based Safety &
Injurty Reduction: A Survey of the Evidence.” Professional Safety. July 2000.
• E. Scott Geller. “How to Get More People Involved in Behavior-Based Safety: Selling an
Effective Process.” Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. Accessed 12/2010.
<http://www.behavior.org/resource.php?id=332>.
• “Introduction to BBS.” Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. Accessed 12/2010.
<http://www.behavior.org/resource.php?id=330>.
• Byron Chandler and Thomas A. Huntebrinker. “Multisite Success with Systematic BBS.”
Professional Safety. June 2003.
• D. Cooper. “The return on investment of the B-BS process.” Giornale Italiano di
Medicina del Lavoro ed Ergonoima. Vol 32, No 1. 2010.
• M. D. Cooper Ph.D. “Towards a model of safety culture.” Safety Science. Vol 36. 2000.

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