Greetings, recording this on the road in Cheswick, Pennsylvania. We receive a lot of calls from organizations looking to purchase software for their behavioral safety processes. So for the podcast this week, I would like to provide some independent thoughts on this. There really are several software options available to an organization looking to implement a Behavior-Based Safety process.
They range from spreadsheet tools to installed or online databases. Our firm (ProAct Safety) is familiar with all major methodologies and applications currently in use throughout the world. Due to this unique position, our firm has often played a support role in identifying, selecting and utilizing the most effective application that fits each organization’s needs. Many companies choose to internally create an application. This can be a good strategy. We have helped several organizations by providing the critical functional guidance necessary, to ensure a successful outcome.
A key success factor in any implemented Behavior-Based Safety Process is data management. The data is what enables continuous improvement and helps the observers keep score. Sometimes the reason workers are not improving in safety is because something is getting in the way. Identification of safety obstacles and barriers, and measuring their impact is a powerful tool in improving safety. Traditional safety tends to only focus on lagging indicators and failure rates. The percent safe provided by a behavioral safety approach, is a great leading metric for comparison to the downstream metrics of accident rates, severity rates, costs of accidents etc.
It is critical for a steering team to design an effective data management and problem-solving technique, in conjunction with their behavior-based safety efforts. This data flows to the steering team and helps them to remove barriers to safety and change the influences that could tempt workers to take risks. Additionally, the ability to isolate problem areas increases the ability to focus corrective effort reducing wasted resources. The observations are most definitely a great tool for beginning the creation of a culture of safety awareness and development of a personal safety focus; however without a good Behavior-Based Safety data management strategy, the process may not be sustainable.
The data usually reveals first the weaknesses of the data, i.e. too little, not representative, not complete, what’s and no why’s on comments, etc. Once the data gathering process is adjusted, the data starts to reveal where the greatest risks are and why workers are taking them. The observation data combined with the original Pareto Analysis data helps to prioritize the risk issues for the team to address.
The steering team will need to be able to identify trends in the performance. It is important to know if risk taking is increasing, decreasing, or remaining relatively constant. Since the observers in a Behavior-Based Safety process cannot see every precaution taken or not taken at the site, it is important that the behaviors sampled are representative of what is happening across all times and locations at the site. If data is bunched into certain times or locations, the data may not be reliable.
Behavior-Based Safety Process considerations when determining software needs:
- First define the (paper) trail of how the completed checklists get to the data entry person
- Determine who the data entry person(s) will be
- Does the application need to be within the corporate infrastructure, an installable application, or online?
- How will the steering team/committee retrieve the data from the computer for their meetings (printed copies of reports vs. access to computer and projector to see the data in real time)
- What data will be posted and shared, and how will this be accomplished
- Will the team require support in understanding data and trends and the ability to create action plans to address them?
We recommend the following types of reports for Behavior-Based Safety Data Analysis:
Report: Overview
What to look for: Low % safe, high # of concerns, adequate sample size
Use: Select areas that need improvement or attention
Typical Distribution: Steering Team
Report: Overview chart
What to look for: Safe vs. Lucky
Use: Feedback to workers
Typical Distribution: Post and share with everyone
Report: Trends
What to look for: Is percent safe increasing, decreasing, or staying the same?
Use: Track the effectiveness of the process and specific action plans
Typical Distribution: Steering Team, Workers in areas of action plan focus
Report: Observer Progress
What to look for: Has observer completed assignment and what is the quality of the data
Use: Manage the observation process and give feedback and recognition to observers
Typical Distribution: Steering Team
Report: Comments
What to look for: What is influencing a person to take a risk: perception, habit, or barriers
Use: Develop steps of action plans to improve safety
Typical Distribution: Steering Team
Report: Additional Comments or Best Practices
What to look for: Suggestions or concerns about the process from observers or workers
Use: Continuous improvement of the process and safety
Typical Distribution: Steering Team
Report: Breakdown Reports
What to look for: Are the areas of concern concentrated by location, time, day, or other variables
Use: Target areas of concentration for action plans
Typical Distribution: Steering Team
Report: Action Items
What to look for: Any activities that are a result from this initiative that are: Actionable and within the team’s control (if not, who will manage follow-up?) and focused on measureable results
Use: Manage activities, follow-up, focus efforts and continuous improvement to ensure a results orientation
Typical Distribution: Steering Team
I hope I have provided a couple of ideas that are useful for you. I’d like to close with this, if you only have time to do one thing in safety today, what would it be and how will it contribute to making this a safer world for us all? Thanks for tuning in…
Have a great week!
Shawn Galloway
ProAct Safety
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