The behavior-based approach

In contrast, behavior-based psychotherapy was designed to be administered by individuals with minimal professional training. From the start, the idea was to reach people where problems occur—in the home, school, rehabilitation iirstitute, and workplace, for example—and to teach parents, teachers, supervisors, friends, or coworkers the behavior-change techniques most likely to work xmder the circumstances (Ullman and Krasner, 1965). 

More than three decades of research have shown convincingly that this on-site approach is cost effective, primarily because behavior-change techniques are straightforward and relatively easy to administer and because intervention progress can be readily monitored by the ongoing observation of target behaviors. By obtaining objective feedback on the impact of intervention techniques, a behavior-based process can be continually refined or altered. 

Behavior-based methods are especially cost effective for large-scale applications. Much community-based and organizational research has shown substantial improvements in environmental, transportation, production, and health-related problems as a direct result of this approach to intervention (e.g., see comprehensive research reviews by Elder et al., 1994 Geller et al., 1982 Goldstein and Krasner, 1987 Greene et al., 1987). And there is plenty of evidence that the behavior-based approach can dramatically improve an organization s safety performance (e.g., DePasquale and Geller, 1999 McSween, 1995 Petersen, 1989 Ward, 2000). 

A common perspective, even among psychologists, is that humanists and behaviorists are complete opposites (Newman, 1992 Wandersmann et al., 1976). Behaviorists are considered cold, objective, and mechanistic, operating with minimal concern for people s feelings. In contrast, humanists are thought of as warm, subjective, and caring, with limited 

Given the foundations of humanism and behaviorism, it is easy to build barriers between person-based and behavior-based perspectives and assume you must follow one or the other when designing an intervention process. In fact, many consultants in ttie safety management field market themselves as using one or the other approach, but not both. It is my firm belief that these approaches need to be integrated in order to truly imderstand the psychology of safety and build a Total Safety Culture. 

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Chao Qingren, et al. 2007. Study on unsafe behavior of miner [J], China Safety Science Journal 17(12) 19-25. Dominic Cooper 1994. Implementing the behavior-based approach a practical guide [J]. The safety and Health Practitioner 15(3) 26-32. 

Behavioral approaches are based on years of research in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. Geller (2001, p. 21) notes, Behaviorism has effectively solved environmental, safety, and health problems in organizations and communities first, define the problem in terms of relevant observable behavior, then design and implement an intervention process to decrease behaviors causing the problem and/or increase behaviors that can alleviate the problem. The behavior-based approach is reflected in research and scholarship.. . . ... 

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. 

The behavior-based approach targets human behavior and relies on interpersonal observation and feedback for intervention. The success of comprehensive ergonomics depends on employees observing relationships between behaviors and work situations. 

Taken alone, the behavior-based approach is more cost effective than the person-based approach in affecting large-scale change. But it cannot be effective unless the work culture believes in the behavior-based principles and willingly applies them to achieve the mutual safety mission. This involves a person-based approach. Therefore, to achieve a Total Safety Culture we need to integrate person-based and behavior-based psychology. This text shows you how to meet this challenge. 

To achieve a Total Safety Culture, we need to integrate behavior-based and person-based psychology and effect large-scale culture changes. The five chapters in Section 3 explain principles and proce-dures founded cm behavioral research which can be applied successfully to change behaviors and attitudes throughcmt organizations and communities. This chapter describes the primary characteristics of the behavior-based approach to the prevention and treatment of human problems and shows their special relevance to occupational safety. The three basic ways we learn are reviewed and related to the development of safe vs. at-risk behaviors and attitudes. 

Given these testimonials, let us examine the fundamental characteristics of the behavior-based approach. 

The behavior-based approach to reducing injuries is depicted in Figure 7.1. At-risk behaviors are presumed to be a major cause of a series of progressively more serious incidents, from a near hit to a fatality. According to Heinrich s Law, there are numerous risky acts for every near hit, and many more near hits than lost-time injmies. This is fortunate news, but let us not forget that timing or luck is usually the only difference between a near hit and a serious injury. 

The behavior-based approach illustrated in Figure 7.1 is failiue oriented. It is also more reactive than proactive. The outcome measures are failures—fatalities, lost workdays, and the like—that require a fix. 

The remarkable success of the behavior-based approach to solve people s problems changed dramatically the role of the clinical psychologist. Therapists had been spending most of their days in the office applying psychotherapies to clients. Because behaviors are triggered by certain environmental circumstances, behavioral improvement requires changes in those settings. This means the therapist needs to work with clients and potential support personnel where the problem exists. 

Why did it take me so long to get here—to the implementation stage Indeed, if you are looking for "quick-fix" tools to make a difference in safety you may have skipped or skimmed the first two parts of this text and started your careful reading here. I certainly appreciate that the pressures to get to the bottom line quickly are tremendous, but, remember, there is no quick fix for safety. The behavior-based approach that is the heart of this book is the most efficient and effective route to achieving a Total Safety Culture. It is a never ending continuous improvement process, one that requires ongoing and comprehensive involvement from the people protected by the process. In industry, these are the operators or line workers. 

For well over a decade, I have taught applications of the behavior-based approach to industrial safety with the acronym depicted in Figure 8.2. The process is continuous and involves the following four steps. 

The second approach to the Define and Observe stages of DO IT involves a limited CBC (perhaps targeting only one behavior) and does not necessarily involve one-to-one coaching. This is the approach used in most of the published studies of the behavior-based approach to safety (for example, see reviews by Petersen, 1989, and Sulzer-Azaroff, 1982, 1987). This was the approach used by my students years ago when they observed, recorded, and graphed my safety-belt use as my vehicle entered and departed the... 

Altirough tire title of this section is "Behavior-Based Safety Training," I hope it is dear that botir training and education are needed. First, people need to understand and believe in the theory and principles rmderlying the behavior-based approach to preventing injuries. This is commonly referred to as education. 

Psychologists who use the behavior-based approach to solve human problems design activators (conditions or events preceding operant behavior) and consequences (conditions or events following operant behavior) to increase the probability that desired behaviors will occur and undesired behaviors will not. Activators precede and direct behavior. Consequences follow and motivate behavior. This chapter explains basic principles about activators to help you design interventions for increasing safe behavior and decreasing at-risk behavior. The next chapter focuses on the use of consequences to motivate safety achievement. 

Sometimes at seminars and workshops, I hear participants express concern fliat tire actively caring person-state model might not be practical. "The concepts are too soft or subjective," is a typical reaction. Employees accept the behavior-based approach because it is straightforward, objective, and clearly applicable to the workplace. However, person-based... 

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