Conference organized by:

Center for Biosecurity of UPMC

World Health Organization Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response Office

Conference sponsored by:

The Nuclear Threat Initiative

Leading with Safety: Shaping Culture and Behaviors
Presenter: James Grant

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Mr. Grant is the Global Accounts Manager of Behavioral Science Technology, Inc., longstanding specialists in safety management strategies and programs. His firm specializes in addressing the human behavior components of strong workplace safety programs. This issue is particularly pertinent to laboratory safety, given the need to change prevailing practices and attitudes so they correspond with the heightened hazards and challenges of handling increasingly more hazardous bioagents.

Grant pointed out that a sound safety program relies on strong leadership supported by both "safety enabling systems" and "organizational sustaining systems." The former consists of traditional safety mechanisms such as hazard recognition skills and training, while the latter consists of systems to promote performance management, employee engagement, and sound organizational structure. Along with the prevailing organizational culture, these systems have a direct influence on the safety effectiveness of workers, procedures, equipment and facility design. Within this safety management framework, safety leadership is critical and draws its strength from the personality, values, and emotional commitment of the leader.

Grant explained that many leaders do not naturally have all of the personality attributes necessary to manage safety effectively; however, he asserted that the key is to manage one's personality to enhance the safety culture of the institution for which one is responsible. For example, while some managers may not seek out regular interaction with employees, this is an important leadership attribute in promoting worker engagement in safety and in demonstrating management support. Grant then outlined five key elements of a behavior-based performance improvement program:

• Develop outcome measures
• Identify critical behaviors ("in a positive manner")
• Gather data ("best individual to do so is a peer in the organization")
• Provide two-way feedback
• Use data to remove barriers ("collect data and use it").

He concluded by discussing the "ABC" framework for describing "what controls behavior," using the use or neglect of safety glasses to illustrate. In this framework, A = Antecedents or "anything which precedes and sets the stage for behavior." B = Behavior or "an observable act." C = Consequences or "anything that directly follows from the behavior." In the context of the safety glasses example, A = factors influencing worker use of safety glasses (e.g., timing, discomfort, ready access, etc.), while B = recognizing need to wear glasses, and C = reprimand, eye injury, etc. A corresponding framework exists for managers, as well. By changing or influencing the factors in A and B, one can change the outcomes in C. Key factors are timing (sooner vs. later), consistency (certain vs. uncertain), and significance (positive vs. negative). Grant concluded by pointing out that "consequences control behavior" and that "antecedents influence behavior only to the extent that they predict consequences."

- Summary by Joseph Fitzgerald, M.H.S., M.P.H.  

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