Safe by Design

Book excerpt: Despite good intentions, the environment within which people work can unfortunately encourage at-risk behavior. Both formal systems (e.g., incentives, measurement systems) and informal systems (e.g., peer pressure, safety interactions) have tremendous influence on safety-related behaviors at all levels of the organization. The more leaders and safety professionals can accurately assess the behavioral impact of formal and informal systems, the better able they are to adjust their systems to improve safety performance and safety culture. Understanding behavior scientifically is key. This book will demonstrate how the science of behavior can be used to create safe habits and assess and improve organizational systems. The result is dramatic improvement in all aspects of safety.