Behaviour Based Safety (BBS), is a process that informs management and employees of the overall safety of the workplace through safety observations. BBS is intended to focus workers’ attention on their own and their peers’ daily safety behaviour
When implemented properly, a behaviour-based safety program can provide positive rewards to change unsafe behaviour, reduce job-related injuries, minimize lost production hours, and improve workplace morale—essential ingredients for creating a strong safety culture. … Safety is to a great extent under our own control.
Behaviour based safety (BBS) as the name suggests is a promising technology that combines parts of behavioural science with industrial safety and through this provides organizations the opportunity to move to a higher level of safety excellence and to develop and instil a new approach to promote safety as an organizational value.
Behavioural based Safety (BBS) is based on solid principles about assisting, engaging, reinforcing, and sustaining safe behaviours. In Sansafe our Health & safety team work closely with our in-house organisational psychologist, who will do the skills survey & coaching of team leaders, who will in turn carry it through to employees.
Benefits: Reduce costs related to injuries and incidents
- Save lives and reduce injuries
- Raise overall safety awareness
- Increase observational skills
- Communicates management’s commitment to safety
Overall, Behavioural based safety (BBS) aims to understand causes of incidents and near misses and correct them through behaviour. It is a scientific approach to understand why people behave the way they do when it comes to safety.
When applied properly Behavioural based safety (BBS) can create a proactive safety culture and move organizations closer to really knowing how much the workforce truly understand their work practices, procedures, conditions, and behaviours that can cause them to make mistakes.
On 6 December 2019 the Ergonomic regulations were promulgated R no 1589, and became a new regulations under the auspices of the OHS Act 95 0f 1993(as amended by 181) making it mandatory to every employer to measure and address ergonomic concerns by using a competent person to do an ergonomic survey and risk assessment.
Ergonomics can be described as the process of designing or arranging workplaces, products, and systems so that they fit the people who use them. In short, ergonomics aims to achieve effective man-machine interactions. Ergonomics is a system‑oriented discipline that extends across all aspects of human activity, and therefore promotes a holistic approach to enhancing the well-being of people at work. Ergonomics aims to improve workspaces and environments to minimise risk of injury or harm. As technologies change, so too does the need to ensure that the tools used at work are designed for the body’s requirements.
Benefits:
- Ergonomics reduces direct and indirect costs
- Ergonomics increases productivity
- Ergonomics assists in designing out unnecessary musculoskeletal stress.
- Ergonomics improves employee engagement and job satisfaction
- Ergonomics creates a better safety culture
- Ergonomics Enhances overall organisational management
Ergonomics forms a very important part of risk management, and the results of the once off survey are transferred to the risk assessment process and the medical surveillance plan, needed to be compliant with the requirements of Section 8(2)(d) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1993 (Act No. 85 of 1993).
Amid COVID-19, employees are faced with various challenges. We offer support, advice, and assistance to organisations with regards to the work-related and mental health issues of their employees and leaders. We have various employment health and wellness programmes and offer online-zoom, telephonic counselling and debriefment sessions with a psychologist.
Services offered:
- Mental health and wellbeing assistance and support to employees
- Psychological First Aid
- Assisting employees to cope with changes and challenges (Resilience training)
- Virtual / telephonic counselling
- Employee assistance programmes (EAP)
- Surveys
- Coaching for Leaders
Sonica Mouton
Organisational Psychologist & Ergonomist
B.Psych. Eq. (UNISA/US.), BCom (Hons), MCom
HPCSA Reg. No. PS0138118