Advanced Topics in BBS

1. Advanced Topics in BBS Chris Goulart CSP, MS, ARM, CDT, CSHM Director of Safety Services RCI Safety

2. GROUND RULES • Ask a LOT Of Questions • Don’t take Copious Notes • Be Skeptical

3. Objectives • – A Theoretical Approach • The Science of BBS • Beyond the ABC’s • Defining How Behavioral Psychology and Cognitive Psychology Function in BBS • Safety Culture and Behavior • Current and Future Research • Self Observations • The Observer Effect • Psychological Factors Involving Safety

4. Objectives • – Practical Application • Review recent trends in the field of Behavioral Safety • Selecting the Right Behaviors …Risk Assessment Vs. Pinpointing • Responding to the Criticisms of BBS • BBS in the long-term • Discuss the Future of the Discipline • Results – Documented, Expected, how to Get the Most from the Process • Talk about Events and Where to get more Information

5. SAFETY PYRAMID Unsafe Acts/Conditions Attitudes/Behaviors Culture (Mgmt. Driven)

6. Can We FINALLY put the Triangle to Rest??? • The Research of Heinrich has ALWAYS Been Suspect. • The Recent Article by Manuele (October 2011) casts lots of Legitimate Doubts • The Causal Factors the Drive Injuries and Accidents are Complex and Almost Always Systemic in Nature • A Behavioral Component to Safety is Necessary and Important, but NOT a Silver Bullet

7. What Makes Behavior Based Safety So Effective? Science

8. What is the Science Behind Behavioral Safety? • B. F. Skinner – Developed the concept of Operant Conditioning… Organisms are motivated by how their behavior OPERATES on the environment. • Pavlov – Developed the concept of Classical Conditioning also known as associative learning – Organisms are motivated through paired stimuli.

9. Behavioral Safety • Founded on the principles of Operant Conditioning. • Is Generally Behavioral but has Incorporated Elements of Cognitive Psychology as well (More Later) • It is known that Reinforcement is the best way to Manage Behavior • Positive Reinforcement has been shown to be most effectiveas it Optimizes Discretionary Effort (Daniels)

10. History of Behavioral Safety • 1920’2 – 1950’s Dr. B.F. Skinner a Harvard Professor developed the concept of “Behaviorism” • 1960’s Aubrey Daniels incorporate operant conditioning into a concept he called “performance management” • Term Behavior Based Safety first used by Dr. Komaki in 1978 • Behavior Based Safety Becomes a Mainstream Safety Approach 1980’s - Present

11. A Antecedent B Behavior C Consequence The ABCs of Human Behavior

12. Beyond the ABC’s • We know Antecedents, Behaviors, and Consequences… • But how Often do We Apply this Knowledge? • ABC Analysis, extremely useful but rarely used. • Antecedents, the forgotten part of BBS • “Nudge” Concept • Aligning Antecedents with Consequences • Capitalizing on Natural vs Artificial Antecedents

13. Behavioral Psych VsCognitive Psych • Behavioral Psych – All that matters is the Behavior and How the Consequences to that Behavior Motivate or Exterminate Future Behavior • Cognitive Psych – All that matters is Motivation, Thoughts, and Emotion, Behavior is Secondary • BBS, when done the Right Way, resides Somewhere in Between

14. Safety Culture • Shared assumptions of safety in the workplace that drive motivation and behaviors based on values, traditions, and history • Clearly a leading indicator and the one most closely linked with outcome performance (The relationship between employees’ perceptions of safety and organizational culture Michael O’Toole) (Journal of Safety Research 2002 #33 231-243) (Also, Petersen, 2001, Krause, 2004, Cooper, 2009, Geller et. Al 2011 Professional Safety) • What employees do when no one is watching…(Schien)

15. Safety Culture • Management Driven • Set in motion by the founders of the organization • Is very self sustaining and self reinforcing • Not really separate from Organizational Culture (Constituent Component) • Influenced by both local and industry cultural norms

16. Is Safety Culture the Same thing as Behavior… NO!!! • A Behavioral Safety Process can enhance numerous aspects of the culture • A Behavioral Safety Process is more likely to be successful if the Safety Culture is known Safety Culture = Cognitive Psychology Behavior Based Safety = Behavioral Psychology Behavior Culture

17. Observer Effect • The behavior of the observer changes dramatically as a result of conducting observations • An excellent study by John Austin, Western Michigan, showed that observers improve their own behavior by 75% over a baseline • Interestingly safety training was shown to have no effect on performance in the same study Austin, chapter in “The values based safety process (2nd ed.)”. New York: Van Nostrand-Reinhold.

18. Hawthorne Effect • Persons who know they are being observed change their inherent performance to meet the expectations of the observer • May not be intentional • Causes some elevation in the % safe scores • Allows for the application of more positive reinforcement for observed safe behavior

19. Self Observation and Self Feedback • Good research indicates this is a viable methodology for lone workers • They must receive outside prompts to require them to asses their postures, behaviors, and activities • Prompts must be sent several times per day • Must involve education about what is expected prior to the Self-Observation Process • No research done into habituation yet (long-term exposure to the process) “Self Monitoring Promoting Behavior Change” Hsiang Huang, Yueng et al… Professional Safety November, 2008

20. Quality Observations • Validation of the skill and accuracy of the observer • Conducted by members of the Behavioral Safety Steering Committee • Should be done with every observer at least once a quarter

21. Barriers and their Role as Antecedents… • Barriers are obstacles that prevent persons from working safely • Barriers may be physical, procedural, or personal • Barriers often function as antecedents for prompting unsafe or undesirable behaviors

22. Metrics • Contact Rate • Percentage of Positive Feedback • Barriers Identified • Action Items Closed • Participation by Observers • Quality Observation Percent

23. Looking Forward • Behavioral Safety Process Maturation • The influence of Behavioral Safety on other business disciplines • The use of Behavior to manage other activities

24. Looking Forward • Generating information on the ROI of Behavioral Safety, including the cost to implement and the cost of observations and feedback • Compared to the benefits of reduced injuries, improved employee morale, and enhanced productivity • Translation of future research into actionable protocols for Behavioral Safety

25. Psychological Obstacles to a World-Class Safety System • The Fundamental Attribution Error • Cognitive Dissonance • Complacency • Laziness • Outcome Bias • Local Rationality • Fact/Value Confusion • Overconfidence Effect • Recency Effect • Redundancy • Rosy Retrospective • Sample Bias • Selective Perception • Status Quo Bias • Sunk Cost Effects • Wishful Thinking

26. Where to get more information • Behavior Safety Now Conferece Reno, NV October 9-11, 2013 • RCI Safety BBS Academy, Council Bluffs, IA • The Ameristar Casino August 6 & 7, 2013 • Bringing Out the Best in People (Aubrey Daniels) • Leading with Safety (Thomas Krause) • Leading People-Based Safety: Enriching Your Culture (Scott Geller) • Values Based Safety (Terry McSween) • Behavioral Safety: A Framework for Success (Cooper)