Behavioural safety came in for a bit of a bashing at Safety & Health Expo today, as even proponents of the approach agreed that it can go horribly wrong if not implemented properly.
The implementation of a driver risk-management system (DRMS), as part of a wider programme, has helped reduce vehicle-related incidents involving British Gas engineers by 30 per cent and helped save the company £3m, since its introduction 18 months ago.
The current vogue among employers for adopting behavioural programmes to address health and safety issues has been criticised by a leading trade union, which says they mainly seek to blame the worker rather than focusing on the failures of management.
The new Safety Climate Tool (SCT) from the Health and Safety Laboratory can help measure the attitudes to safety and behaviours of employees and how these impact on risk control, offering a unique insight into an organisation’s safety culture, whatever its size or industry.
Ongoing investigations at the devastated Buncefield fuel depot have revealed possible problems with safety instrumentation and raised the issue of human factors in the management of major hazard sites.
