Safety Culture and Behavioral Safety

Safety Culture and Behavioral Safety Two Approaches & One OutcomeSafety excellence

Chris Goulart MS, CSP, ARM, CDT, CSHMDirector of Consulting Services RCI Safety

Session GuidelinesDont bother to take copious notesAsk questions, but dont develop extreme problemsFeel free to stick around afterwards if you want further clarification or discussionThis talk WILL challenge a number of commonly held beliefs about workplace safetySession ObjectivesDiscuss the concepts of Safety Culture and Behavioral Safety Identify the Similarities and DifferencesReview a methodology that combines the both approachesCover how you can maximize the effectiveness of both and how they compliment one anotherIf you REALLY want to IMPROVE SAFETY You first have to understand the fundamental motivation that is required for persons to work safely.. and then work to change it!!!!!!!!!!!!Do you know what Safety Culture Means?

YesSomewhatNot ReallyI have NO IDEAThe Term Safety CultureUsed over and over and over (47,000,000 Google Hits up from 23,000,000 only a year ago)Not well understood by many in the field of safetyGenerally used to describe an overall sense of they way safety feels to employees, supervisors, and managersHow do you know if you have a good safety culture or not?

6Safety CultureShared assumptions of safety in the workplace that drive motivation and behaviors based on values, traditions, and historyClearly a leading indicator and the one most closely linked with outcome performance (The relationship between employees perceptions of safety and organizational culture Michael OToole) (Journal of Safety Research 2002 #33 231-243) (Also, Petersen, 2001, Krause, 2004, and Cooper, 2009)What employees do when no one is watching(Schien)

Safety CultureManagement Driven Set in motion by the founders of the organizationIs very self sustaining and self reinforcingNot really separate from Organizational Culture (Constituent Component)Influenced by both local and industry cultural norms

Common (false)Perceptions of Safety CultureUncontrollable and driven by employees with no outside influenceSet by Management Safety processes like Behavioral Safety will immediately improve the cultureCulture cant be controlled or changed, it just is9How would you describe your Safety Culture

Animal HouseWeakLaggingSolidAbove AverageWorld Class

How is Safety Culture Usually Evaluated?Safety SurveysSafety Cultural InterviewsBehavioral and Situational Observation Each of these evaluates a slightly different manifestation of safety culture (perception, beliefs, and actions)11

Safety Culture SurveysResult in immediate quantification of the Safety CultureCreates a BaselineAllows for the evaluation against other related organizationsThe Survey Itself immediately begins to engage employees (They Become Part of the Solution)How to Administer SurveysOffer to all EmployeesEnsure ConfidentialityMake Sure to have a Plan to Act on the Results

Safety Culture InterviewsValidates the data from the surveyAllows for the determination of primary and secondary causal factorsFacilitates the gathering of more robust and worthwhile informationCan be done using focus groupsFacilitated internally or externallySafety Culture ObservationsAllows for validation or refuting of findings from surveys and interviewsHelps to illustrate how Safety Cultural Norms are appliedAllows for evaluation of importance of behaviors driven by the cultureNOT THE SAME AS BEHAVIOR BASED SAFETY!!!What are the MOST Important Elements of a Strong Safety Culture? (pick-2)

Leadership OwnershipEmployee EngagementIndustry StandardsSolid Written Formal ProgramsA Professional Safety DepartmentWell delineated Safety CommunicationA Culture Where Reporting is Paramount and Blame is MinimizedA model where production demands are balanced with safety, quality, and environmentalWhat are some indicators of a Strong Safety Culture?Management that Consistently Sets the ExampleAn Organization that is Willing to Ask and Answer Hard QuestionsAn Empowered Workforce that is able to Make Meaningful Contributions to the Safety Process17Strong Safety Cultural Indicators ContinuedRegular Formal and Informal Discussions Relating to Safety High-Functioning Safety CommitteesWell Written Safety Mission and Values StatementsA Professional Safety Department 18

Strong Cultural Characteristics ContinuedA Process of Self Auditing, Risk Assessment, or Formalized Hazard IdentificationPresence of a Plan for Mergers, Acquisitions, and Sale of Business UnitsLinkage of Safety to all Levels of the Business19

Weak Cultural CharacteristicsUsing only lagging indicators to measure performanceThese measure failure ratesThey manage safety by looking at what has happened not what will happenMay encourage injury hiding Recordability or Severity is influenced by many factors AFTER the eventIf you want to make positive change be like a coach, they dont watch the scoreboard, they watch the action on the field20

Weak Characteristics contUse of Punishment Punishment does not reinforce anythingPunishment becomes part of a repeating cycleHas the use of punishment ever inspired anyone?Stopping unsafe behaviors does not mean the desired behavior will immediately begin21

Accountability vs PunishmentPunishment can become an organizational valuePunishment is needed under certain circumstances however, it will only generate malicious compliance (at best)Balance is KEY!

Weak Characteristics contPoor Incentive ProgramsA vigilant focus on the outcomes not the processToo much safety trainingAccident Investigations that result in causal factors like wasnt paying attention, needs to be more careful 23copyright 2006 free template from brainybetty.com

Based on Our ExperienceMany Organizations Struggle with Cultures of BlameProduction vs. Safety is one of the Lowest Cultural Characteristics for most OrganizationsEmployee Engagement is Usually HighLeadership May/or May Not, have gaps in perceptionsIs Safety Culture the Same thing as Behavior? No, but the interrelatedness is undeniableThe culture of the workplace obviously drives the organization's behavior and influences the individual employees behaviorResearch shows that behavior also influences culture.25CultureBehaviorWHAT ABOUT CULTURE VERSUS BEHAVIOR?It is important to measure the culture so you know what characteristics exist A Behavioral Safety Process can enhance certain aspects of the cultureA Behavioral Safety Process is more likely to be successful if the Safety Cultural opportunities/strengths are known

26Do You Have or Use a Behavior Based Safety Program?

In the Past, but not PresentlyNot Now and Not EverCurrently, but it isnt working wellYes and its the BOMB!!Behavioral Safety Founded on the principles of Operant Conditioning. It is known that Reinforcement is the best way to manage behavior. Positive Reinforcement has been shown to be most effective. Understanding Behavior in the WorkplaceWhat is it that causes employees to exhibit certain behaviors?What is it within the systems of the workplace that lead to employee behaviors?Can we understand the systems of the workplace better?Unsafe behavior by employees is a symptom of poorly defined and understood workplace systems, not the fault of the individual. Whose idea of a trench safety system is this???

The ABCs of Human Behavior Antecedent Behavior ConsequenceABC30ANTECEDENTSOccur before behaviorCommunicate expectationsProvide instructionsCue behavior

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Two types of antecendentsNaturalBeyond an external locus of controlOccur as a result of environmental eventsAdaptive and governed by our systems

DeliberateArtificialIntended to control or influence behaviorOften unsolicitedAntecedents in the workplace have short term effectsare overused (ex: train and re-train) work best when paired with consequencesnot a strong influence behavior ~ 20%Some examples of antecedents

You Can Say That Again

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WHAT???????

BEHAVIORDesirable Behaviorjob behavior which meets expectations and requirementscomplies with all safety rules all of the time

Undesirable Behaviorjob behavior which does not meet expectations and requirementsfail to comply with all safety rules

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Consequences45CONSEQUENCESAre either Positive or Negative for the behaviorsPredict the probability of future behaviorOccur after the behaviorAre too powerful to be left to chanceNot used often enough

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The Role of Consequences47

Consequence ExerciseSPEEDING

Analyze this Event Based on Consequences

Learned History = Habit = BehaviorABCLearned History (Habit)AntecedentBehaviorConsequence50What is a HabitHow does it work for us in Safety?How does it work against us?

What Comes First Culture or BehaviorOrganizational (Safety) Culture drives behavior .Behaviors, over time, can influence culture and become normativeThe relationship is organic and formative in both directions How are Safe Behavior and Safety Culture RelatedAs mentioned earlier, they are clearly interrelatedCultural Norms drive behaviorsBehaviors can influence culture and become normativeBoth aspects of safety require effort to improveBehaviors can typically change more quickly but are sustained by culture

Combining Both Creates a Behaviorally Driven Culture that focuses on accomplishment

Typically focused on the personMotivation by avoidanceBased on rules and regulationsFailure orientedManagement owned and drivenGenerally looks for unsafe acts to punishPeople work safely because they have to What are the elements of a traditional Safety Culture?

An Example of Why Traditional Safety is Not Optimalhttp://www.cnn.com/2012/03/14/travel/faa-nonpunitive-reporting/

FAA says new 'safety culture' will stress solutions, not blame

OSHA Letter of InterpretationSafety AccountabilitySafety IncentivesREMOVE THE CULTURE OF BLAME!Focusing on behavior as a leading indicatorPaying attention to the workplace as a systemNot blaming the individualMaking improvements through the use of positive feedbackCreating an ongoing safety system that is owned by management and driven to success by employeesCarefully managing data to yield positive resultsThe elements of a Behavioral Safety Culture are

In a Behavioral Safety Culture Focuses on accomplishment Success orientedPeople work safely because they want toBecomes self sustaining and continuously improvingIs truly doing something differentIt WILL happen to someone

Maximizing the Potential Combine a Cultural Approach with a Behavioral ApproachConduct a safety cultural evaluation (survey, observations, interviews)Identify Strengths and GapsBuild a Behavioral Safety Process that capitalizes on Strengths and Fills GapsRe-Evaluate the CultureWhat Kind of Results can be ExpectedLiterature supports a 25% reduction in injuries with the use of a Behavioral Safety Process (Krause)Literature further supports a 40% reduction when Safety Cultural Interventions are combined with a Behavioral Approach to Safety. (Cooper)RCI Safety Results with clients range from 40% to 90% reductions in injuries in 12 monthsSafety Climate Safety Climate Safety Climate Enter question text...

Enter answer text...Did you find this session worthwhile

Not at allA little, but not muchIt was OKIt was very goodIt was excellent!Conclusion Safety Culture and Behavioral Safety are not the same thingThey are closely related and drive one anotherWhen combined in a seamless and harmonized manner, the safety process is solidified with INTEGRITY!When Safety lacks integrity, everyone loses!!!