Behavioural Safety

Most behavioural safety programmes are based on behavioural psychology theories that believe behaviour that is reinforced will be continued. In order to increase their personal safety these approaches are usually aimed at frontline personnel with the aim of cutting down days lost due to injuries (LTIs). Programmes vary but generally after observation, safe behaviours of front line staff are defined and by reinforcement these behaviours become the norm.

How we differ

Our programme, Safety in Mind, has its roots in aviation psychology which draws from a wide range of disciplines and branches of psychology that all contribute to aviation safety. Human factors research, such as that carried out at the University of Texas, has widened using the knowledge gained from studies of flight crew to areas such as medicine.

Unlike traditional behavioural safety programmes that modify behaviour by finding out what to change and then reinforcing these safe practices, our approach is multi faceted. We aim to change behaviour through influencing attitudes by explaining why and how to change counter productive behaviours. This approach can be a stand alone initiative as in aviation or used to support existing behavioural safety programmes to enhance their impact and effectiveness. As aviation has found there is more likelihood of crews/teams/individuals adopting the behaviour in the long term when working unobserved if they believe that the change will make them safer.

Some argue such as Martin Anderson of the UK Health and Safety Executive that while behavioural safety programmes can be successful in cutting down unsafe behaviours, the causes of major accidents are usually different. In attempting to cut down aircraft accidents, aviation has taken many approaches aimed at all aspects of the industry.

Drawing from systems expert Professor James Reason who believes human error is inevitable, aviation has developed Threat and Error Management on which Safety in Mind is based. As well as helping in the avoidance, trapping, and mitigating error at the individual and team level, Safety in Mind helps companies identify and manage threats and errors at the task, workplace and organisational levels.