How to Increase Workplace Safety - I

Behavioral Security is a term that refers to the application of the scientific knowledge of Behavioral Psychology to occupational safety issues. It comes to join the efforts expended by various areas of human knowledge to deal with security issues. It does not intend to replace the initiatives of engineering or occupational medicine, but to add a new focus to traditional measures for occupational safety. It is an application that is well established in the US, England and Australia for presenting significant gains in the security levels of the company.

It is a broad intervention that, in partnership with CIPA (if any), seeks to involve both the "factory floor" and the supervision and management level so that everyone feels responsible for security, in such a way that the performance of employees becomes proactive, rather than reactive to the recommendations of CIPA or supervision (in the sense of doing only what CIPA or the Supervisor commands). It is applicable to small, medium and large companies.

It is a model of action that is in accordance with the suggestions of BS 8800 (English Standard for Safety) for the implementation of a management system in occupational safety and health.

First, the success of the intervention involves the commitment of managerial levels, which will allow and support the actions of employees as planned.

Based on a scientific model, the intervention requires a detailed planning and with an application period that can vary from a few weeks to months, depending on the size and complexity of the action, but the results can extend far beyond this period, provided that certain conditions (adjusted case by case) have been established.

Generally speaking, the process goes through the following phases:

a) Planning how to perform:

– research on the perception of safety in the company;

preparation of management and workers for the work to be done;

– recruitment of interested parties;

– interviews and analysis of previous occurrences;

training of observers.

b) Develop safety performance measures, recording which behavior(s) is being aimed at reducing or increasing (use of PPE, compliance with safety standards, etc.);

(c) conduct the training of observers;

(d) make the observation;

e) record the measures identified for the case;

(f) Set improvement goals. For example, it was found that it is common to find employees without wearing protective glasses; analysis is done to identify the causes, the consequences for the person are verified and a goal is set to increase the use of glasses, and this goal is defined with the participation of employees.

(g) make further observations;

h) To disclose the information gathered from the observations and the scope of the targets set;

(i) the information obtained is passed on at specific meetings, in which everyone is invited to participate;

j) To seek continuous improvement.

To make the results feasible, tangible rewards (bonuses, t-shirts, keychains, etc.) can be used, which would be defined according to the investment that is intended to be made.

It is not a motivational campaign, but a scientifically based procedure to act on conditions capable of promoting observable safe behaviors and reducing the occurrence of unsafe behaviors.