Behaviour Based Safety (BBS) is behaviour-oriented occupational safety: colleagues observe safety-relevant behaviour, give appreciative feedback and jointly remove the obstacles that make safe work harder. SAFETEE builds the programme with you – from management to the shift floor.
Behaviour Based Safety (BBS) – also spelled Behavior Based Safety – is a systematic approach in which trained observers watch defined safety-critical behaviours at the workplace, give immediate feedback and recognise safe behaviour. The share of tasks performed safely is measured and serves as a leading indicator – long before an accident happens. Conventional safety concepts often rely on sanctions; BBS relies on observation, dialogue and recognition.
Colleagues observe a task briefly and openly, using a checklist of critical behaviours. The conversation follows immediately: what was safe, what was risky – and why?
Safe behaviour is made visible and confirmed with appreciation. Risky behaviour is not punished but understood: is a tool, time or a clear instruction missing? These obstacles are removed together.
The share of behaviours observed as safe, the observation rate and the number of obstacles removed are your leading indicators. Accident figures remain a result, not an incentive.
A functioning safety culture has a positive influence on employee behaviour. Our in-house Safety Culture Model makes that culture tangible and creates multipliers who drive it forward on site and pass it on to new colleagues.
We take stock of the current corporate culture in terms of safety awareness: site walks, conversations with management and workforce, evaluation of accident and near-miss data.
We build understanding of safety culture with our model and involve every level: senior management and employees on site are trained together.
We train suitable colleagues as safety culture multipliers so that they introduce new team members to occupational safety and carry the programme themselves after the rollout.
From accident and near-miss data we derive the eight to twelve behaviours that make the difference in your operation – as a short, observable checklist.
Observing and giving feedback can be learned. We train observers from all levels – voluntary and without any disciplinary role.
Short, specific, appreciative: name what was safe first, then understand the risky part together. No names in the evaluation, no record against individuals.
Every risky observation asks why. Missing equipment, time pressure or unclear instructions become an action for management – visible and with a deadline.
Share of safe observations, observation rate, lead time of actions. We advise against bonuses for accident-free days: they produce silence, not safety.
Managers take part in observations, talk about safety before production and keep their promises. Without that signal, any programme remains a form.
A BBS programme is not created in the training room but on site. We accompany you from analysis to handover to your multipliers – usually over six to twelve months.
Site walks, interviews, data: where does the safety culture stand, which behaviours matter?
Checklist, roles, feedback rules, key figures and communication plan – agreed with management and workforce.
Training of observers and managers, kick-off on site, first accompanied observation rounds.
Coaching, evaluation, fine-tuning. Your multipliers take over, we remain on call.
BBS makes safe behaviour visible and gives the workforce a voice for the obstacles of everyday work. A meta-analysis of 13 studies found significantly fewer injuries after BBS rollouts but rates the quality of the studies as weak. We therefore promise no percentage – only measurable leading indicators.
BBS does not replace technical and organisational safety and is no instrument for blame. Behaviour follows context: whoever corrects behaviour but leaves time pressure, tools and instructions unchanged gets better observation figures and the same accidents. That is why we combine BBS with the systems view of HOP and Safety-II – more on the methods.
Behaviour-oriented safety in open-pit operations: observations, feedback and multipliers under rough conditions.
Behaviour Based Safety complements our Safety Consulting. These building blocks interlock:
Safety-I, Safety-II, HOP and the Bradley Curve: where BBS belongs and what the models really prove.
Safety culture, organisation and leadership – consulting for companies that want to go beyond compliance.
Training for observers, managers and contractor coordinators under DGUV Regulation 1.
Behaviour Based Safety is an approach to behaviour-oriented occupational safety. Trained observers watch defined safety-critical behaviours, give direct feedback and recognise safe behaviour. The share of tasks performed safely is measured and serves as a leading indicator of the safety culture. Its scientific roots lie in applied behaviour analysis; the first studies date from the 1970s.
None in substance. “Behaviour” is the British and “Behavior” the American spelling; in German-speaking countries both spellings and the terms “verhaltensorientierte” or “verhaltensbasierte Arbeitssicherheit” are in use, including by the DGUV. The principle is always the same: observe, give feedback, strengthen safe behaviour.
That criticism applies to badly designed programmes. They often rest on the outdated assumption that almost all accidents are caused by “unsafe acts”. A well-designed BBS programme asks why after every risky observation – missing means, time pressure, unclear instructions – and turns the answer into tasks for the organisation. Observations are anonymous and observers have no disciplinary role. This is how we combine BBS with the principles of HOP: context drives behaviour.
From analysis to handover to your multipliers we usually plan six to twelve months, depending on company size, shift model and number of sites. The first observation rounds typically run after eight to twelve weeks.
The share of behaviours observed as safe in percent, the observation rate per area, the number of obstacles reported and removed and their lead time. These leading indicators show movement before accident figures change. Accident figures remain outcome measures and are not used as incentives.
No – we advise against them. Bonuses for accident-free days create incentives not to report injuries. Recognition in BBS means visible, personal feedback and the reliable removal of reported obstacles, not money for the absence of accidents.
BBS is a tool, not a worldview. It delivers observations and conversations; HOP and Safety-II deliver the view of the organisation and working conditions. In our practice they belong together. Maturity models such as the Bradley Curve help the conversation about culture but are not empirically validated – more on our safety methods page.
Companies with recurring, observable tasks and a management willing to invest time and attention: industry, energy, construction, raw materials, logistics. Technical and organisational fundamentals must be in place – BBS builds on them but does not replace them.
Company size, shift model, starting point: with three details we estimate the effort for analysis and rollout and get back to you within one working day.
