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The Psychology of Safety. Presented by: Dan Hannan, CSP, CHMM Safety Director Associated General Contractors of MN. What This Presentation is NOT!. Although we are talking about how the mind works, NO hypnosis will be performed .
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The Psychology of Safety Presented by:Dan Hannan, CSP, CHMMSafety DirectorAssociated General Contractors of MN
What This Presentation is NOT! • Although we are talking about how the mind works, NO hypnosis will be performed . • It is NOT a group therapy session to uncover some horrible aspect of your childhood. • It is NOT going to involve an IQ test or otherwise measure your safety intelligence or aptitude.
Presentation Objective INTRODUCE the principles that shape our safety behavior OR Why do we think and then do (or not do) what we are suppose (or not suppose) to do to stay safe? I want you to start thinking about how people think (about safety)
Information Sources The analysis of safety behavior or “Behavior Based Safety” is not a new concept. It has been studied for quite a few years by many folks. Certain safety professionals feel it to be worthwhile while some do not. Articles and phone interviews by: • Robert Pater • Ron Bowles • Scott Geller • Peter Cholakis • Andrew Kapp and Praveen Parboteeah • National Safety Council • www.behavioural-safety.com
Do you observe the safety management programs that your company has prepared for its employees?
Do you utilize your training, experience and safety equipment and procedures for protecting yourself and others on jobsites? For instance do you use fall protection, safety glasses, hearing protection and otherwise recognize and abate hazards that exist on the job?
Do You… • …climb into a deer stand, work on your roof at home or otherwise work at heights on or off the job without fall protection? • …mow the grass, operate a chain saw or weed whip or other power tools at home or work without safety glasses, hearing protection or steel toed boots? • …use a solvent based paint or stain or sand sheetrock in a poorly ventilated area or without the use of a respirator? • …utilize electrical devices without the use of GFCI or flipping the breaker?
Do You… • …work in locations that would be considered a confined space where hazardous atmospheres may exist (i.e. using cleaning chemicals in the shower)? • …dig on the job or in your yard at home without clearing buried utilities? • …drive a vehicle without using a seat belt or while applying makeup? • …ensure that the trailer you are towing (boat) is working properly, its not overloaded and the load is properly secured. No matter how much safety training has been provided why are unsafe acts still being committed (on and off the job?)
QUIZ:Unsafe acts (behavior) account for __ % of accidents and injuries? • 20-40 • 40-60 • 60-75 • >75 Answer is >75
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth… Employee and company safety-oriented programs designed to promote safe behavior and make our jobsites a safer: • Craft labor apprenticeship training programs • OSHA 10/30 Outreach training • Volunteer Protection Program (VPP) • State OSHA safety partnership programs • Tool box talks/best practices • Safety seminars and workshops • OSHA consultation visits • Pre-task planning • Health and safety plans…
Why do we still place so much time and money into correcting unsafe conditions when more times than not the root cause is human behavior—ability to recognize a hazard and make the proper decision? The company safety professional is an army of one—why not create an army of dozens by modifying front-line employee behavior!
WHY? Why do we commit unsafe acts when we know better?
Does Changing One’s Behavior Toward Safety Really Work? Absolutely Results from all sectors of manufacturing and construction have shown… • 40-75 percent reduction in accident rates and accident costs • Greater workforce involvement in safety • Better communications between management and the workforce • Greater 'ownership' of safety by the workforce • More positive attitudes towards safety • Greater individual acceptance of responsibility for safety
How many of you work with unsafe coworkers? Or Have children? What do they have in common?
They just don’t get it! (they don’t do what they’ve been told, listen to warnings, think things through or learn from their mistakes) WHY?
The Psychology of Safe BehaviorThere appears to be three critical elements that shape our thought and reasoning processes and how we display that in the form of safety behavior (our actions) • How We Learn (educated and trained) • How we are Motivated and Influenced(to do safety) • Ability to Focus and pay Attention (to the task at hand) First—set the stage with some current safety psychology principles.
The Mental Side of Safety An accident, injury or illness is the result of one or both of the following Unsafe acts (behavior) Or Unsafe conditions It is the popular belief that behavior accounts for 75-90% of all incidents
Basis for Unsafe Behavior The consequence of behaving unsafely will nearly always determine future unsafe behavior, simply because reinforced behavior tends to be repeated. OR If I do something (knowingly or unknowingly) unsafe and don’t get hurt (and I get the job done faster or cheaper), I will likely do it again (until I do get hurt or am asked to correct to stop [behavior]).
Consequence versus outcome…if they succeed will they do it again? LESSON 2
Aside from your safety behavior in the workplace, should your employer care about your safety off the job? Why is it important to your employer that good safety habits carry over into your home life?
“Working Safe: How to help people actively care for health and safety” by E. Scott Geller, Ph.D. LESSON 1
Why is Good Safety Behavior Important at Work AND Away From Work? • For the US population, the two leading causes of accidental death are motor vehicle accidents and falls (also the two biggest accident/death construction exposures). • Nine times more workers die accidentally off the job than at work. • There are approximately 12,000 deaths and 2.9 million disabling injuries that occur in the home each year.
Why is Safety Important at Work AND Away From Work? The four most common injuries and fatalities on the job—falls, electrocution, struck-by and caught-in. The first two causes are also major factors for injuries and fatalities at home. Many hazards that exist in the workplace also exist away from work. Engrained safety behavior enables recognition and avoidance of these hazards regardless of where they exist
Why is Safety Important at Work AND Away From Work? • The mental strain caused by the loss of life or serious injury to a co-worker. • Costs—Whether on the job or at home, unsafe behavior equates to large financial consequences for both the employer and employee.
COSTS • 128 million employees receiving workers compensation benefits in 2005 at a cost of 55 billion dollars or an average of $21,000 per claim. (National Safety Council Injury Facts 2008) • According to commonly accepted safety management concepts for every $1 in medical or insurance compensation costs ("direct costs") for a worker injury, $5-50 more are likely to be spent on "indirect costs" to repair building, tool or equipment damage; to replace damage products or materials; and to make up for losses from production delays and interruptions. An additional $1-3 in indirect costs will be spent for hiring and training replacements and for time to investigate the incident.
Developing an “all-the-time” safety mindset to change behavior and create a safety culture
How many of you personally have… • Worked at least 5 years without a lost workday incident? • 10 years? • 15 years? • 20 years or more? Congratulations!!! You are all very lucky to not have been injured on the job, correct?
NO!! Luck has only a little to do with it. A large part of your success has likely been determined by the priority you, your co-workers and your employer place on your safety and the safety of others. This is expressed in your safety behavior.
Three Primary Safety Behavior Components • How we learn (training and education programs) • How we are motivated or influenced to behave safely • How we focus or pay attention to instructions and tasks
Characteristics of Adult Learners • Adults learn and retain information at different speeds. • Adults are most receptive to training if they have an immediate use or need for the skill or knowledge being taught. • Adults bring a great deal of life experience to a training situation. It is important to allow adults to share their knowledge and expertise.
Characteristics of Adult Learners • Adults have expectations about what they are being taught. In the case of safety it would be that they are being taught the correct way of doing things to be safe and productive. • Information retention and learning is based on what is already known. • Learning progresses from the simple to the complex. People learn best if you break a process or skill into fairly simple pieces for learning retention. • A skill must be used to be remembered.
It is Estimated . . . • that the average person retains about 7 items in his or her short-term memory. • that it takes between 10 and 15 contact times with a hands-on skill before we retain it in our long-term memory
Adults Will Remember… • 10% of what we Hear • 15% of what we See • 20% of what we Both Hear & See • 40% of what we Discuss with others • 80% of what we Experience Directly or Practice • 90% of what we attempt to Teach Others The % increases as we “use” and take ownership of our knowledge (training and experience).
Effective Training and Learning Techniques often involve the following sequence… • You read the directions (procedure), I tell you how to do it and then show you (demonstrate). • You tell me, show me and then write down the process or steps, then I’m going to read what you wrote to see if it makes sense. Research indicates that we loose 95% of what we’ve learned in a training session in 2 weeks!
So…How Does the Learning Aspect of my Training Impact My Safety Behavior • The quality of instruction and learning needs to be evaluated to ensure effectiveness—DO NOT assume everyone will comprehend and retain equally. • A quality effective training program says the employer values and is committed to the safety of the employee. • Solid training programs that build a sense of personal responsibility are considered successful and especially if safe behavior is carried away from the jobsite—back to your home!
Motivation Motivation = ”…the forces influencing people so as to control the making of their decisions…” What are the factors that motivate us and influence our level of effort with regard to safety (output of mind and body)? Keeping yourself safe requires both your mind and body. When your life is on the line it only takes a lapse of either to yield disastrous results.
Factors that Shape Motivation GOALS The establishment of clear attainable goals, that the employee has helped set, coupled with a reward (recognition, $’s, etc.) stimulates the need to do well. Established safety goals and meaningful rewards usually equates to a safer work effort and behavior. The trend for safety recognition is behavior based—reward for safe behavior rather than zero injuries. Instill a personal responsibility to recognize unsafe actions/near misses by promoting ownership of safety to change behavior.
Factors that Shape Motivation Needs, Wants and Beliefs Generally speaking, if a worker’s needs and wants are satisfied (hazard-free work environment, correct tools to get the job done, etc.) they are more content and will be motivated to perform well and do what is asked of them—likeobservingsafety requirements People tend to be motivated if what they believe they are doing (safety) makes a difference for them and others.
Factors that Shape Motivation Risk Risk = the likelihood of an outcome (probability) and the severity of the consequence (how bad). Everyone evaluates and perceives risk differently—why do some people like skydiving and some do not—reward outweighs the probability of cost?
Factors that Shape Motivation Risk The consequence of behaving unsafely (RISK) will nearly always determine future unsafe behavior, simply because reinforced behavior (no accident or consequence) tends to be repeated.
