Strategies to promote safe behaviour as part of a health and safety management system

Promoting safe behaviour at work is a critical part of the management of health and safety, because behaviour turns systems and procedures into reality. On their own, good systems do not ensure successful health and safety management, as the level of success is determined by how organisations 'live' their systems. This report provides the reader with an understanding of: G the theory underpinning strategies to promote safe behaviour; G the key elements of programmes to promote safe behaviour which are currently in use; G how to use behavioural strategies to promote a wider range of critical health and safety behaviours; G how to integrate behavioural strategies into a health and safety management system. The behavioural programmes currently in use within the UK focus on promoting safe behaviour among frontline staff. These programmes therefore exclude a large proportion of other behaviours that influence health and safety performance. There is potential to extend the behaviour modification principles and strategies currently used, to encourage and promote behaviours which support the health and safety management system (HSMS) and the development of a positive health and safety culture. Behavioural programmes have become popular in the safety domain, as there is evidence that a proportion of accidents are caused by unsafe behaviour. Whilst a focus on changing unsafe behaviour into safe behaviour is appropriate, this should not deflect attention from also analysing why people behave unsafely. To focus solely on changing individual behaviour without considering necessary changes to how people are organised, managed, motivated, rewarded and their physical work environment, tools and equipment can result in treating the symptom only, without addressing the root causes of unsafe behaviour. This report and the work it describes were funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.