Sustaining a safety culture means systematising the daily behaviours that prevent harm, not only counting the incidents at the top of the accident triangle: hazard reports, near-miss reports, safety observations and conversations, reviewed every day with visible action. The triangle is a reminder that the many small events at the base are where the culture is built.
At a glance
- What it is: Heinrich's accident triangle, later refined by Bird, shows many minor events for every serious injury.
- Limit: it concentrates on worker behaviour and lacks an essential systems component.
- Sustaining safety culture: safety first on every tier board, easy hazard and near-miss reporting, and a visible response with an owner.
- Related: what is a safety cross? and what is a near miss?.
Behaviors drive habits, which in turn creates the culture of the workplace. So how do we systematize and scale positive behaviors to drive a safety culture?
I've been thinking a lot about this in reference to Heinrich's principle (the Accident triangle). This model suggests that many individual behaviors ultimately lead to an injury. The logic behind Behavior-Based Safety is that by addressing the unsafe behaviors of individuals it will lead to less injuries. It's a step in the right direction, but insufficient on its own.
Why start with safety hazards?
Every serious injury sits on top of many near misses and unsafe conditions; fix those first.
Firstly, there are many high risk safety hazards in the workplace that have no relation to worker behavior. It may be ensuring all equipment have guards in an industrial setting, or that appropriate disposal bins are in place for needles in a healthcare setting. Providing a psychologically safe space for employees to raise hazards is the beginning of behavioral change – and it starts with the leaders.
What are the foundations of safety?
While the Heinrich Triangle concentrates on worker behavior, it lacks an essential systems component. I envisage a model where there is a psychological safety culture and a Daily Operating System (Daily Management System) to support it.
How do accountability and recognition build safety culture?
A good leader will praise the positive behavior in a team setting, and coach the corrective behavior one-on-one. Team members learn that they're recognized for good behaviors, and also that it's safe to raise concerns.
The practical side is that Actions that arise as part of the DMS must be a closed loop – assigned, tracked, closed out and the originator kept informed throughout.
One point lessons are a useful tool to communicate positive or corrective behavior. These should be quick to create and share within a team, across teams, and across sites.
How do problem solving and employee development support safety?
Team members are often the best source of insight for why or how a problem is occurring. Use their insights in a cross-functional problem solving team. Ishikawa diagrams and 5 Whys are great exercises, then let team members lead the investigation actions. For larger issues, use the A3 report format.
Checklists are a useful tool to ensure processes are standardised and that safety checks and safety walks become part of the operating model. For higher-risk tasks, a job safety analysis written with the crew before the job starts does the same for the work itself.
How do communication and coordination support safety?
For increased speed of organisational improvement, teams must be able to share from the experiences of all teams in their networks. This removes the 'single speed' nature of improvement.
Roll up all safety actions, one point lessons and problem solving into a toolbox talk. One of our customers does this using a saved search titled 'Safety Toolbox talk' and is able to run through these without any preparation.
What role does the daily management system play in safety?
The DMS is critical. Check-in regularly through tier meetings and daily huddles, solve problems regularly, engage and support people in the process.
One customer introduced an Operational Excellence Management System (OEMS) that provided leaders with tools to foster a psychologically safe culture. The frontline proactively engaged in their own safety observations. From an already impressive safety record, in one year they further reduced injuries by 35%.
Frequently asked questions about the safety triangle and safety culture
What is the safety triangle?
Heinrich's accident triangle, later refined by Bird, shows that for every serious injury there are many minor injuries, more near misses and far more unsafe acts and conditions. Acting on the base of the triangle reduces the events at the top.
How do you sustain a safety culture day to day?
Put safety first on every tier board and in every huddle, make reporting hazards and near misses easy and visibly acted on, schedule safety observations and walks as leader standard work, and investigate repeat hazards to root cause.
What should be measured to drive safety behaviours?
Leading measures: hazards reported and closed on time, near misses reported, safety observations and conversations completed, safety audits done. Lagging measures such as injury rates show the result but are too slow to manage by.
Why is safety culture part of a wider framework?
For any safety culture to be sustained and thrive, it must be supported by adjacent processes and systems. Tools like Leader Standard Work, standardised problem solving techniques, and a Tiered Daily Management system should work together to handle the full PDCA loop.
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