Behavior-based safety benefits

A number of recent books detail the principles and procedures of behavior-based safety, and they provide solid evidence for the success of this approach to injury prevention (e.g., Geller 1996a, 1998a, 1998d Krause 1995 Krause, Hidley, and Hodson 1996 McSween 1995 Sulzer-Azaroff 1998). Each of these books is consistent with regard to certain basic principles and methods, as well as the beneficial outcomes of behavior-based safety. We offer a brief review of these principles, procedures, and benefits here, and recommend these texts for follow up and continued learning. We start with a definition and rationale for three basic principles of the behavior-based approach. 

We are motivated by consequences, however, so let s consider certain benefits you can expect to gain from a successful behavior-based safety management process as reviewed in this chapter. Since most injuries are caused in part by at-risk behavior, a reduction in at-risk behavior and an increase in safe behavior will lead to injury prevention. However, we d like you to consider five other benefits that result from people contributing interdependently to an effective behavior-based safety process. These outcomes are critically important and relate to much more than safety. In fact, they can benefit every important function of your organization. In explaining these we ll review most of the key psychological principles covered in this chapter. 

Dave s lesson shows how human nature interacts with environmental factors to cause at-risk work practices, near hits, and sometimes personal injimes. It is relatively easy to control the environmental factors. As I will explain in Section 3 on behavior-based safety, it is feasible to measure and control the behavioral factors. However, the complex personal factors, described by the BASIC ID acronym, are quite elusive. The field of psychology provides insights here, and this information can benefit occupational safety and health programs. 

An ExxonMobil Chemical facility in Texas has demonstrated exemplary success with a coaching process based on the principles and procedures described in this chapter. By the end of two years, they had almost 100 percent participation and have reaped extraordinary benefits. From an outcome perspective, they started with a baseline of 13 OSHA recordable injuries in 1992 (TRIR = 4.11), and progressed to 5 OSHA recordables in 1993 (TRIR = 1.70). They sustained only one OSHA recordable in 1994 (TRIR = 0.30) and reached their target of zero OSHA recordables in 1997 and 1999. At the time of this writing (mid-2000), they are still injury free for the year. Figure 12.18 depicts the total recordable injury rate (TRIR) for this plant from 1991 to mid-2000. They had received behavior-based coaching training in the latter half of 1992, implemented their observations and feedback process plantwide in 1993, and by 1994 everyone was on board as a behavior-focused coach. They have continued this process ever since and have had numerous occasions to celebrate their phenomenal safety success. 

Regardless of incentives and information, travelers must be sufficiently competent to make good decisions. The belief that individuals are incompetent to make risky decisions arises from research on behavioral decision rules in complex situations and on attitudes. Traffic safety dedsions are suspect because risks may be misperceived and expected safety benefits may be undervalued. Ola Svenson and his colleagues, for example, report based on their attitudinal study that subjects show optimism bias they feel they are more skillful and safer than typical drivers. They state that drivers who feel immune may discount measures such as seat belts. A sununary of this and other representative evidence of representative incompetence is presented in column 2 of Table 2-1. Next to these results, in column 3, is the evidence of competence for each subject natural hazards and insurance, gambling, risk perception, and safety belt use. 

The case study on Vinyl Acetate Process, developed in Chapter 10, demonstrates the benefit of solving a process design and plantwide control problem based on the analysis of the reactor/separation/recycles structure. In particular, it is demonstrated that the dynamic behavior of the chemical reactor and the recycle policy depend on the mechanism of the catalytic process, as well as on the safety constraints. Because low per pass conversion of both ethylene and acetic acid is needed, the temperature profile in the chemical reactor becomes the most important means for manipulating the reaction rate and hence ensuring the plant flexibility. The inventory of reactants is adapted accordingly by fresh reactant make-up directly in recycles. 

Cholinesterase inhibitors should be used throughout the course of illness because of the cognitive benefits, possible treatment of behavioral symptoms, and economic factors. Additionally, vitamin E should be used adjunctively with the chohnesterase inhibitors throughout treatment. Vitamin E is recommended solely based on the results of one smdy that showed no cognitive benefit, but a delayed requirement for nursing home placement with vitamin E. Figure 63-3 shows pharmacotherapeutic treatment algorithms for AD. These recommendations are made based on available efficacy, safety, and tolerability data. 

Most of the remaining benefit of the behavioral safety process comes from improvements recommended or implemented by the steering committee based on its analyses of observation data and related information. 

As stated in Chapter 2 the focus of the individual benefit-cost approach is on the roadway user s choice of a target level of safety and choice of ways of achieving that safety. For expositional purposes the approach is couched in terms of motorist behavior and striking examples. The approach applies, however, to all roadway users and includes subtle responses which may occur over extended periods of time. The approach is general in that mandated technological changes and responses based on psychophysiological arousal are incorporated. ... 

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