ABC of behaviour-based safety
01 Dec 2020
British Safety Council helps organisations in proper implementation and completion of their behaviour-based programme.
A leading cause of accidents in the workplace is unsafe employee behaviour. To improve workplace safety, organisations need to establish behavioural change among their employees, in addition to providing them with the equipment and a safe working environment. British Safety Council’s Behavioural Safety framework consists of three major parts that collectively form what is called the ‘ABC model’. Hemant Sethi, Country Head, British Safety Council, India, shares more about the ABC model…
What is the ABC model of Behavioural Safety Consultancy?
The ABC model is a way to evaluate employee behaviour at the workplace and consists of three elements. Let’s have a look at each of these.
- Activators: Activators are factors that prompt employees to act or behave in a certain manner at work. They can be a person, place, thing or an event that could affect an employee’s behaviour. Activators can be used only to prompt the desired behaviour, not enforce it.
- Behaviour: Behaviour is the visible action of an employee at the workplace. Behaviour can be safe and unsafe. Behaviour-based safety involves observing both types of behaviours and develop solutions that encourage positive behaviour.
- Consequences: Consequences influence the future behaviour of the employees. They, too, can be positive or negative depending on the preceding behaviour. Behaviour-based safety aims at improving positive consequences which in turn can improve safe, positive behaviour within the organisation.
What are the benefits of a behaviour-based safety?
British Safety Council’s Behavioural Safety Consultancy is aimed at bringing permanent positive behavioural change in employees and develop safe work culture. In addition to improving workplace safety, it offers various other benefits to organisations which are as follows:
Improves workplace safety: Behavioural Safety Consultancy focuses on positive reinforcement practices that offer rewards and praise for good behaviour. Such an approach encourages employees to develop and follow safe practices and constantly strive to put their best behaviour forward at work. This results in employees being highly precautious at work.
Encourages employee collaboration: Behaviour-based safety is a collective effort which involves observing the behaviour of other employees and notifies others of unsafe behaviour. This also improves employee communication and collaboration. With open communication and collaboration, organisations get a clear view of what’s working and what’s not so they can then collectively decide the steps to be taken to improve workplace safety.
Reduces costs associated with accidents: With Behavioural Safety Consultancy, organisations can end up saving finances related to insurance, treatment of injured employees and other workplace hazard compensations. Additionally, they can also save indirect costs such as the lost working hours and time required to hire new employees in case of workplace safety lapses.
What are the challenges faced in implementing behaviour-based safety?
A problem with behaviour-based safety implementation is some organisations who start it don’t manage to finish it because of lack of support, time or other external factors. That is why organisations need the support of an external party like the British Safety Council to achieve proper implementation and completion of their behaviour-based programme.
Organisations need careful understanding, planning and implementation to make behaviour-based safety a success.
If you need support with behaviour-based safety for your organisation, you can always seek the services of reputed, professional occupational health and safety experts such as the British Safety Council. We provide behavioural safety consultancy services.
(https://www.britsafe.in/behavioural-safety-consultancy/) that can help enhance your organisation’s health and safety culture.”
(Communication by the management of the company)
