Behavior-based safety is a process that focuses on identifying and choosing safe behaviors over unsafe ones. It involves observing employees' behaviors, providing feedback, analyzing the data to determine improvements in safe behaviors over time, setting goals for increased safety, and reinforcing safe behaviors and goal attainment. When implemented effectively through observation, feedback, goal-setting, and rewards, behavior-based safety can lead to reductions in workplace accidents as well as increases in efficiency, productivity, morale and profitability.

1. BEHAVIOR-BASED SAFETY
Behavior-Based Safety is a process
that helps employees identify
and choose a safe behavior
over an unsafe one.

2. BASIC BEHAVIOR PRINCIPLES
Safety in the workplace is a
combination of three
measurable components:
1. The Person
2. Their Environment
3. Their Behavior
Only when these three
elements are combined
can workplace accidents
be eliminated.

3. BASIC BEHAVIOR PRINCIPLES
The person component consists
of the employees’:
• Physical Capabilities
• Experience
• Training

4. BASIC BEHAVIOR PRINCIPLES
The work environment represents:
• Engineering Controls
• Equipment
• Job Task
• Work Culture

5. BASIC BEHAVIOR PRINCIPLES
The final, most often overlooked component
is behavior—what the person does on the job.

6. THE BEHAVIOR-BASED SAFETY PROCESS
Behavior-based safety is based
on four key components:
• A behavioral observation
and feedback process
• A formal review of
observation data
• Improvement goals
• Reinforcement for
improvement and
goal attainment

7. BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATION AND FEEDBACK
This is one of the most important components of the process.
Observations provide direct, measurable information on
employees’ safe work practices.
• Employees are observed performing their routine task.
The observer documents both safe and unsafe behaviors.
• The employee is then provided positive feedback on the
safe behaviors and non-threatening feedback on the unsafe
behaviors. They are also provided with suggestions on
correcting the unsafe behaviors.

8. FORMAL REVIEW OF OBSERVATION DATA
The data is then analyzed to determine
the employee’s (or department’s)
improvement in safe behaviors. It can
be looked at as an overall percentage.
Example: If there were 20 items on the
checklist and the worker performed
17 of them safely, then he would get
a score of 85% safe.

9. FORMAL REVIEW OF OBSERVATION DATA
The improvement between observations
could be graphed and displayed for
employees to view. When the graphs
shows improvement, it provides positive
reinforcing feedback to employees.

10. IMPROVEMENT GOALS
Setting improvement goals
increases the effectiveness of
feedback and the success of the
behavior-based safety process.

11. IMPROVEMENT GOALS
These goals can take different
forms, such as:
1. Percent Safe Goals
2. Process Goals
3. Implementation Goals

12. REINFORCEMENT FOR IMPROVEMENT
AND GOAL ATTAINMENT
Management must provide immediate,
positive feedback to reinforce safe
behavior. Rewards can be an effective
means of reinforcing goal attainment.

13. RESULTS
• Increased Efficiency
• Increased Productivity
• Increased Morale
• Increased Profitability