We’ve previously blogged about Atul Gawande’s The Checklist Manifesto which is a great help for the medical sector. We suggest you make familiarize yourself with it, but here is a great ‘ a checklist for checklists’ that’ll help you get started in whichever industry you’re in. Just use this as a clear, simple, and general […]
Safety Management
Where to Start with Checklists?
Before we get into the detail of industry-specific checklists and the issues involved in their design and operation we should remind you about the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA’s role is to assure the safety and health of America’s workers […]
Do you need help working with checklists?
Do you need help working with checklists? Do you struggle to design the right checklists for your business? – Talk to us and see how we can help, for free*! We can help you find templates to use, ‘sense-check’ the templates you think you’d like to use, or even design new templates from scratch – […]
Do we really put safety first?…. quite possibly not
Summary: Workplace safety becomes credible only when leadership treats it as a constant organizational value rather than a slogan that competes with production and cost targets. Safety-first cultures show up in agendas, metrics, staffing, and daily decisions, not just posters or policy language. For EHS managers, the real test is whether safety performance receives the […]
A view from the Maritime Union of Australia…
A interesting counter-view of the benefits of Behavioural Based Safety systems is raised here. It’s an aged article and produced by a controversial labor organization, The Maritime Union of Australia… (c’mon guys, your views have been considered ‘strident’ on occasions in the past…) Nonetheless, we think it’s a valid comment and would welcome your own […]
‘Tailor’ Your Behavioral Based Safety Program
Summary: A successful Behavior-Based Safety program must be tailored to the organization’s language, culture, structure, and regulatory environment without weakening its core elements. For safety leaders, tailoring BBS means adapting how observations, feedback, roles, and communications are delivered so employees see the program as relevant and credible. The result is stronger workforce buy-in, better OSHA […]
Why not use Certainty Software with IMCA guidance documents?
It’s great to see that the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has undertaken its ambitious project of reviewing every guidance document in its extensive library, ensuring all are fully up-to-date. Work on the project, which started in January 2016, will be completed in the first quarter of this year. The IMCA guidance documents provide an […]
Involving your employees…(but it’s better if we call them ‘people’!)
The fifth blog in our series on implementing a Behavioural Based Safety System discusses involving your people in a BBS Program… The good news is that it’s common sense and so obvious that a lot ofmanagers don’t bother to do it. But you should, because your people can make you look great or pretty dumb, […]
How the Behavioral Based Safety System is a Group Effort
Behavior based safety works best when employees are active participants, not passive listeners. To build a stronger program, leaders need to listen, communicate clearly, and involve employees in solving safety issues together. Summary: Behavior based safety only works when employees are involved, heard, and trusted. This post explains how better listening and clearer communication can […]
Certainty Software reduces ISM inspection and audit costs across a fleet
The costs and consequences of a major incident onboard a ship at sea are extremely high. Certainty Software is an ideal inspection management tool to reduce inspection and audit costs in the maritime sector. It helps manage the huge amount of management data across an entire fleet and multiple office sites instantly and online – […]
Asking for help isn’t easy… but it’s worth trying
In our blog on setting up a Behavioral Based Safety System, we suggested (in point 3) contacting others to try and learn from experience. Whenever I’ve done this I’ve initially found the other firms’ management to be stand-offish and apparently feeling at some sort of commercial ‘risk’ as a result of my approach. I found […]
A Pilot Intervention for your Behavioral Based Safety System
Summary: A Behavioral Based Safety System benefits from a pilot because teams can test observations, training, and reporting workflows before full rollout. Why Pilot Testing Your Behavioral Based Safety System Matters Piloting your Behavioral Based Safety System intervention before full-scale rollout is one of the most important steps you can take. Specifically, it protects your […]
There’s no safety without ‘leadership’.
Summary: There is no safety without 'leadership' because policies only work when leaders reinforce expectations, remove barriers, and model safe behavior daily. Safety leadership is the foundation of every effective workplace health and safety program. Without active, visible commitment from management, safety directors, and frontline leaders, even the best-designed safety systems remain aspirational. In fact, […]
Setting Realistic Safety Goals
Summary: Clear safety goals help organizations focus resources, measure progress, and improve accountability. This post compares vague and well-structured goals so teams can set targets that actually drive results. Safety goals should be specific, measurable, and tied to real business outcomes. This article shows how to write clearer goals, avoid vague targets, and track progress […]
How to Start a Simple Behavioral Based Safety System
A behavior based safety system does not need to be complicated to be effective. This guide outlines simple steps to set goals, run a pilot, involve employees, and build a practical program that can grow over time. Summary: This post explains how to start a behavior based safety system with simple, practical actions. It covers […]
