All for the best: using innovative technology to support behavioural safety

In an attempt to develop such a culture, many organisations have turned to behavioural safety programmes (BSPs).  

BSPs aim to reduce incidents caused by human error by influencing the behaviour of frontline workers and typical programmes ‘reward’ good behaviours. Basically, they aim to change employees’ behaviours by increasing engagement.  

But although BSPs can deliver impressive results, all too frequently they fail to live up to expectations.  

If businesses attempt to impose a top-down, ‘one size fits all’ approach without considering the specific needs of their workforce, they risk disengaging employees – anathema to good safety management. 

In addition, given that BSPs can be costly and time-consuming, failed programmes can have far-reaching consequences. 

So how can BSPs be supported to maximise their chances of success? What role does technology have to play in supporting good safety behaviours, and how can technology and behavioural safety combine to improve an organisation’s safety performance? 

It’s unrealistic to ‘helicopter in’ a BSP and expect it to transform an organisation’s safety performance. Basic foundations – namely good employee engagement, committed leadership, and the right tools, all supported by robust policies and procedures – need to be in place first.  

However, with those foundations, behavioural safety can offer new and interesting ways to approach workplace safety and can assist the development a good safety culture. 

Technology can provide a solution, both in putting those foundations in place and helping support the opportunities offered by BSPs. By providing a straightforward interface, through which employees can take an active part in organisational safety conversations, technology can help to increase engagement among employees – contributing to the development of a successful safety culture. 

Mobile apps, which can be accessed via smartphones or tablets, mean that employees can engage with safety in real time, no matter where they’re working.   

By encouraging involvement, employees naturally begin to think of health and safety as part of their everyday activity. Safety becomes a part of ‘the way things are done’ and a culture of safety begins to evolve organically. At this stage, a BSP can be introduced to further enhance that culture and improve safety performance.  

Our health and safety management software solution, Assure, enables any worker to report an incident or near miss, access a risk assessment or record a safe or unsafe act, via a smartphone, tablet or PC. The intuitive software helps ensure compliance, by tracking that actions are effectively closed out. Data can be filtered and interrogated in various ways to produce reports and gain new safety insights to develop a proactive safety culture. 

Interested in learning more about how technology can help the development of a safety culture and support behavioural safety? Read our latest white paper ‘Best behaviour: how technology can enhance behavioural safety in the workplace’ in full: