Intelligence

In recent years, behavioural safety has become a popular approach to workplace health and safety. Rather than a new fad or fleeting approach with no long-term benefits, when implemented correctly behavioural safety can improve the effectiveness of any health and safety training delivered to employees.

But what exactly is behavioural safety? Based on behaviour change theories, this is a systems-based safety approach which is used to create a safer working environment through behaviour modification.

To apply this model to workplace health and safety, the Praxis42 coaching programme focuses on reinforcing safe behaviours while reducing unsafe ones. This is done through ongoing observation of critical behaviours, combined with regular coaching and feedback sessions.

The SafeCoach™ Approach

Recognising the vital role that line managers play in behavioural change in the workplace, our programme focuses on training them up to become safety coaches who can then pass on their knowledge to members of their team.

The key to the success of the SafeCoach™ programme are the one-to-one feedback sessions which follow the skills development workshops. These sessions provide an opportunity for managers to practice their newly learnt skills until they are confident in their coaching abilities.

Once trained, managers will become Safecoaches who can become catalysts for behavioural change on an organisational level. They can then provide ongoing support and carry out regular assessments to ensure that over time, employees do not return to old habits and unsafe behaviours.

How can a Safecoach Improve Health and Safety?

There are several key ways in which a Safecoach can improve health and safety within an organisation by facilitating long-term behavioural changes. These include:

• Communicating the organisation’s health and safety standards to employees.
• Accurately identifying “good behaviours” and “bad behaviours” based on individual observations of employees.
• Having the confidence and training needed to give feedback to teams and individuals that will create positive changes.
• Creating a culture of self-assessment within their teams by encouraging individuals to take ownership of their learning and development.
• Using the “Skill” vs “Will” approach to educate individuals on the relevant processes and coach them on better behaviours in instances when the cause of the unsafe behaviours is attitude and commitment related.

The Praxis42 SafeCoach™ Model

As we have already mentioned, our SafeCoach™ programme works by training up line managers and educating them on the skills and behaviours they will need to be effective Safecoaches. Once they have completed the programme, Safecoaches become instrumental to health and safety, setting the tone for better safety practices.

As well as the behaviours and skills of an effective coach, Line Managers will also be given a structure to follow, based on a simple A-E model. You can learn more about this model by taking a look at our SafeCoach™ infographic accompanying this blog post.

To find out more about how our programme could help your organisation improve workplace health and safety, contact our friendly and knowledgeable team on 0870 446 4201.