Improving Your Safety
With a Behavioral Approach
(Reprinted from Hydrocarbon Processing)

Should observers provide "in-process" feedback based on their observations?

Terry E. McSween

You should also consider whether observers should provide feedback to employees they observe working safely or unsafely. One consideration that pertains is who conducts the observations. If supervisors, they should generally provide corrective feedback to employees they observe being unsafe. If employees are conducting the observations, you might ask them to provide corrective feedback if they are comfortable doing so. Obviously, an observer would be expected to stop any employee who is performing any activity that places someone at risk. If your observers are to provide corrective feedback, you should consider what the observer will say or otherwise ensure that they are trained in providing effective feedback. The team also needs to consider whether observers should respond with positive feedback when an employee is acting safely or when everyone in an area is 100% safe.

Unless your supervisors are conducting the observations, direct feedback on behavior does not have to be part of the observation process. The observation process is intended to tell you how effective your day-to-day improvement efforts are and to provide a basis for setting improvement goals. In most research studies, independent observers made the observations and did not provide direct feedback to employees, but instead provided observation data as feedback to managers. The managers then provided feedback and led improvement efforts independently of the observation process.

Conduct training and kick-off meetings in each area

As you consider implementation of the observation and feedback processes, you should consider the existing skills and training needs of those you want to participate.

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This article first appeared in Hydrocarbon Processing (August 1993) and is reproduced here with permission.