Have you heard about BBS-Behavior Based Safety? Do you know the high contributor in incident index come from unsafe act? And only less than 30% are from unsafe condition.
En. Zulkifli, my facilitator for HIRARC class highlighted this during his session .. and it’s so true that we human tend to forget what we have learn during safety training, safety induction or safety briefing. Why?… its our natural behavior.. a human being learn from experience. But thats experience sometime does not indicate whether what you doing right now is the correct way or not. For example.. a Sr. Site Supervisor, with 20 yrs experience in constructions.. do you think he can listen to you if you try to tell him that the way he’s operating the machine is unsafe?..obviously not!
How do BBS works :-
1.Observation at site
The behavior-based safety (BBS) process depends on site observation. Site observation includes individual feedback, which is the most effective act in the BBS process. The observer meets the worker at site and introduces himself and the job he is going to do. There is no sneaking or spying in the process. The observer monitors the worker and notices his safe behaviors. He also monitors the at-risk behaviors the worker is putting himself in.
The observer starts his feedback by commending the safe behavior the worker was doing during his work. Then he explains, one-by-one, the at-risk behaviors the worker was doing. Then the observer asks the worker why he was putting himself at risk. For example, if the worker is welding a piece of metal and the sparks are flying in the worker’s direction. The observer would then ask the worker why he was not wearing protective clothing, like a flame-retardant apron.
They both discuss the at-risk behaviors until the worker agrees to try the suggested recommendation made by the observer. The worker might be aware of his at-risk behavior or maybe not. The worker may be doing the at-risk behavior for a long time without hurting himself (negative consequences). The observer’s job here is to highlight this behavior, then explain the associated negative consequences with this behavior.
The above discussion and agreement is the individual feedback which helps the worker to change his behavior. This feedback is considered as a form of reward since:
* The worker got commendable comments on his safe behavior.
* The worker understood his at-risk behavior without being reprimanded at site or reported to his superiors for further penalties.
At the end of the observation, the observer would fill in a checklist with the safe and at-risk behaviors he noticed along with the date, time and location of the observations. The worker’s name or identification number are not noted in the checklist. Part of the checklist can be used to summarize the observation process and the discussion. The worker’s comments and reasons for the at-risk behavior is recorded along with the suggested safe behavior. Recording this interaction is important for a later detailed analysis so feedback can be provided to both workers and management, to help identify the most appropriate corrective actions. See BBS business process model for further information.
2.Data gathering and preliminary reports
Observation checklists are gathered and entered in electronic database. Reports are generated for BBS steering committee to analyze and recommend practical solutions. These reports flag out trends of at-risk behaviors and in which location they are taking place. Ideally, feedback reports are generated and given to the workers themselves in the different locations on a weekly basis.
3.Report analysis and recommendation
The steering committee is made up of high-level influential members and chaired by a Management Representative. The committee has periodical meetings to discuss and analyze BBS report findings. The committee then produces a set of recommendations to tackle workers’ behaviors. Some of the recommendations would be as simple as providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to workers in certain locations, or increase work force in another location. Some of the recommendations require site modification or costly machinery. Such recommendations are sent to top management for necessary approvals.
Implementing the recommendations would change the at-risk behaviors at the targeted location. Also the recommendations would eliminate hazards and risks caused by hardware or wrong design. Committee members devote time and effort to discuss and analyze these reports in periodical meetings. These meetings are counted as part of the management commitment to the behavior process.
Any skilled safety professional will recognize that the readiness indicators identified above will help any safety program succeed. However, readiness is even more crucial with behavior-based safety. There will be a flurry of activity, safety awareness increases and expectations are raised. Since this is a high profile program, false starts can be costly to the long-term safety culture. Though it is not a scientific instrument, self-assessment scores of six or greater for each of the axes indicate fairly fertile ground for your behavior-based process to grow in.
Ref :http://www.ohiobwc.com/employer/programs/safety/BehaviorBasedSafety.asp
ashmyn
