The Building Blocks of Positive Safety Awareness

The Truth About Safety Consequences:

Behavioral Psychologists tell us that the consequences of current or past behavior have the strongest influence on future behavior. In the world safety this means that for most people, if they personally have not suffered a negative outcome due to their past at risk behavior, they tend to see that at risk behavior as safe, comfortable, convenient and correct for them.

You can hold safety classes, show your people safety films, bring in safety trainers, develop committees and post rules and regulations on safe working procedures; and all of these measures will help; but until your employees modify their personal at risk behavior by changing their personal concepts of comfort and convenience, you're fighting a losing battle against time developed and reinforced bad habits.

Modifying safety behavior requires frequent reinforcement over long periods of time. The Negative consequences of at risk behavior usually do not occur frequently enough to effectively cause permanent change in that behavior. The good news is that positive reinforcement of positive outcomes is easier and less expensive to control; and time and time again positive reinforcement produces positive results.

A safety program can be made more effective if positive safety performance and achievement is rewarded and celebrated. This reinforces everything from training, to safety rules and regulations, to increasing employee participation in the safety process. It's win, win.

Countless behavioral studies show that people react positively to positive reinforcement. In fact, they will repeat the positive behavior that brought about that positive reward in hope of a repeat of that positive outcome. The longer your people try to achieve the goals you have set, the more the likelihood that positive behavior will replace their previous at risk bad habits, it's just good business.

For more information on how safety performance programs raise safety awareness and can give you positive sustainable outcomes. For more information call or email us at 858-695-9060;

Safety Performance Programs ● Raise Safety Awareness ● Reduce Costs ● Improve Productivity ● Driver Safety ● Manufacturing Safety ● Warehouse Safety ● Mining Safety ● Construction Safety