Certainty Blog

How to Start a Simple Behavioral Based Safety System

We’ve talked in previous tweets about Behavioral Based Safety (BBS) programs. We’ve also highlighted key issues such as the needless deaths and injuries that arise from food handling and preparation. If you’re a food manufacturer or even just a local delicatessen or cafe, why not think more about what you can learn from other sectors like the airline industry? We’ve previously discussed the enormous benefits that simple tools like checklists can bring. So exactly how do we start to use checklists and implement a simple Simple Behavioral Based Safety System? The following list is a simple guide to getting started and we’ll be developing these themes further in later posts.

Simple Behavioral Based Safety System
  1. Set clear and realistic goals – (a) what do you want to achieve and (b) how will you know that you have achieved it?
  2. Pilot the intervention in a small department of the organization first – pick an easy area where people are accessible, positive, and in a stable environment.
  3. Contact similar companies or trade associations to discuss and learn from their previous interventions and experiences.
  4. Listen to your employees and use the process to improve communication in the organization
  5. Involve your employees early in the program to increase the likelihood of employee investment and participation – it’s critical that they feel a sense of ‘ownership’.
  6. Tailor the language, style, and branding of the program to your own organization.
  7. Focus on the real root causes of errors and accidents in the workplace: not just actions, but the motivations or consequences behind the actions.
  8. Always emphasize that safety is not a priority that can change according to external factors, but a core value that must be considered in every action and task that an employee undertakes.

For more on Certainty Software checklist solutions, click here.

For more on Certainty Software BBS solutions, click here.