A few weeks ago, I shared my thoughts on whether a business was ready for a Behavior-based Safety process (BBSP). Since then, I have been asked what some “indicators” could be that a business is “culturally ready” for a BBSP. And for me, it can all hinge on how management EMBRACES NEAR-MISS gifts.
Yes, near-misses are gifts and really sweet gifts at that. However, if management is not yet mature enough in their approach to “safety management,” they may not see near-misses as gifts.
But this is a MUST-HAVE mindset if we want to move in the right direction and consider a BBSP. By not fully appreciating the open and abundant reporting of near-misses AND taking full advantage of what they offer the business, it seems silly that somehow that same business is at a safety maturity level that they can appreciate and take full advantage of behavioral observations.
But if the facility (employees and management alike) see near-misses as gifts AND they encourage their reporting (maybe even incentivize their reporting), AND they seek to take FULL ADVANTAGE of these near-miss events by putting the resources to INVESTIGATE and LEARN from them ALL, then maybe the SMS is mature enough that a BBSP is in their future.
I just had a discussion with a potential client who wanted to discuss a BBSP, and in our discussions, I inquired about their approach to near-miss management. In the past five years, they have received three near-miss reports, of which none were taken seriously enough to investigate, determine the causes, and develop a corrective action plan. One of those near-miss reports was a precursor for a more serious event a year later. And still today, near-misses are not a focal point of incident reporting at the facility.
It is hard to believe a workforce and its management that fails to report and appreciate those reports of near-misses, for whatever reason we want to say, will somehow embrace and appreciate a BBSP approach to safety.
I’m just wondering what you say.
