Behavioral Safety from the
Consumer's Perspective

What would a high quality behavioral intervention look like?

Grainne A. Matthews

1. Begin with a functional analysis of the current situation.

Operationally define the target behaviors:

What does "safe behavior" look like?

What does "unsafe behavior" look like?

Pinpoint the performance so that two people can independently observe the behavior or the result and agree on what has occurred.

Example

In our company, we have had three near misses this year caused by faulty equipment on tow motors. In all three cases we discovered that the drivers had not conducted a thorough inspection of the tow motors before driving, as required by company policy. If they had conducted an inspection as trained, the broken turn signal, the failing brakes, and the bald tires would have been discovered and repaired.

So the safe behavior that we want to see increase is conducting a thorough inspection before operating a tow motor. And we want a decrease in the opposite unsafe performance.

• Safe Performance
  Before driving a tow motor in the warehouse, the driver:
• First thoroughly inspects the vehicle and ensures that systems are fully operational, for example, lights, backup warning, signals, brakes, mirrors, etc.
• Arranges for any necessary repair before driving it.
• Unsafe Performance
• Drives a vehicle without inspecting it first.
• Conducts only a cursory inspection of the vehicle.
• Drives a tow motor on which a problem has been discovered.

2. Examine whether antecedent and situational factors support the desired performance

E.g. use a Behavior Engineering Matrix.

3. Conduct a functional analysis

Since behavior is a function of its consequences, we must examine the consequences of the current performance and of the desired performance. We can then identify the variables that support the safe and unsafe behaviors and can design effective interventions.

• What function does the safe behavior serve for the people involved?
• What are the antecedents and consequences that support safe behavior?
• What function does the unsafe behavior serve for the people involved?
• What are the antecedents and consequences that support unsafe behavior?
• Which elements necessary to support safe behavior are missing?
• What factors operate as barriers to safe performance?

4. Design an approach that is based on proven technologies for:

• Adding or strengthening the necessary antecedents and consequences for safe behavior
• Removing or weakening the antecedents and consequences supporting unsafe behavior
• Ensuring that the change will continue and generalize to new situations

5. A high quality behavioral safety process will:

• Reliably measure safe and unsafe behaviors and their results.
• Validate that the technology was being implemented correctly and consistently.
• Monitor and analyze behavioral and outcome data on an ongoing basis
• Systematically adjust the entire process in response to the data.
• Plan for maintenance and generalization.

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This paper was originally presented at the Behavioral Safety Now 1998 conference.