The human factor

Would you not agree that the biggest challenge in health and safety is human behaviour?

Despite the best-practice policies and training programs you may have introduced, changing human behaviour remains a significant hurdle for you. 

Human behaviour shapes workplace safety, a reality faced daily by every health and safety leader. 

Understanding this challenge and leveraging technology to address it, is crucial for creating safer workplaces.

The human factor in health and safety

In January 2023, a serious accident occurred at a UK retail warehouse. A worker suffered severe injuries after falling from a height. An investigation revealed that the worker bypassed safety protocols and used a makeshift ladder instead of the safety harness and ladder provided. 

The worker likely took this shortcut due to time pressure and overconfidence. This incident highlights how human factors like non-compliance and risky shortcuts can lead to severe consequences, even in a workplace with robust safety measures.

Human behaviour is complex and unpredictable. It is estimated that human error contributes to up to 90% of workplace accidents. Even with strict safety protocols, lapses in judgment, mistakes, and deliberate non-compliance is common. 

Several factors contribute to these behaviours:

Risk Perception: Many employees underestimate risks associated with their tasks, leading to unsafe practices.

Judgment Error: Overconfidence, familiarity with tasks, and underestimating the probability of accidents contribute to risky behaviour. 

Resistance to Change: People naturally resist change, especially if they see it as inconvenient.

Lack of Engagement: Safety training and policies can seem tedious, and in some cases, technology introduced to improve task execution can actually cause disengagement and non-compliance.

Lack of engagement is the barrier

Lack of employee engagement is a significant barrier to effective health and safety practices. 

Engagement is crucial to encourage a culture of safety where every employee feels responsible for their own safety and that of their colleagues.

When safety training and policies are perceived as tedious or irrelevant, employees are less likely to engage with them. This disengagement can stem from several factors:

Tedious training programs: Traditional safety training can be monotonous and lengthy, causing employees to lose interest and fail to retain critical information.

Complex safety procedures: If safety procedures are overly complex or difficult to understand, employees may become frustrated and choose to bypass them.

Unfriendly, complex technology: Technology introduced to improve task execution can sometimes have the opposite effect. If the technology is not user-friendly or fails to simplify processes, it can lead to frustration and non-compliance. Employees may resist using new tools if they find them cumbersome or confusing.

To address these factors, health and safety leaders must ensure that employees are not only aware of safety protocols but also motivated to follow them.

Ensuring that safety procedures are straightforward and easy to follow can reduce frustration and improve compliance.

By implementing interactive and engaging training methods, such as virtual reality simulations or gamified learning modules, interest and retention can be enhanced.

On the technology side, the goal of any new system or initiative should be to simplify and improve existing processes. Introducing intuitive, user-friendly technology that genuinely simplifies tasks can help with acceptance and increase usage. Tools that can streamline processes and reduce effort are more likely to be embraced by employees.

Furthermore, tools that can be customised to suit your organisation's exact needs, rather than forcing the organisation to conform to pre-set modules, can increase engagement by reducing change friction. 

The role of technology

Technology offers innovative solutions to address these behavioural challenges, designed to address the challenge of Human Behaviour, providing solutions crafted with people at the forefront. 

From predictive analytics to simplified data collection and improved training experiences, technology can transform safety management.

When employees see that technology is designed to make their jobs easier and tailored to their specific workflows, they are more likely to adopt it enthusiastically. 

User-friendly solutions

Technology can help by providing user-friendly solutions that simplify health and safety tasks for employees. User-friendly safety technology ensures that safety procedures are straightforward and easy to follow. Here are some examples:

Mobile and offline apps: Mobile apps for safety reporting, from incidents to audits and inspections, make it convenient for employees to report hazards and conduct safety checks on the go. 

Convenience is the keyword here. If these apps are not easy to use, employees can easily revert to their previous methods, and all your efforts can fall by the wayside.

In addition, most solutions include offline capabilities to ensure functionality in areas with poor or no connectivity.

Digital checklists: Replacing paper-based checklists with digital versions accessible on smartphones and tablets streamlines safety procedures and ensures they are completed correctly and efficiently.

QR codes: Health and safety software solutions that offer QR code functionality are transforming safety practices. While the concept might sound simple, QR codes are a powerful tool for simplifying safety practices in organisations. 

QR codes simplify safety processes by offering easy access to information, real-time updates, and enhanced training and education. 

Employees can scan QR codes placed on equipment and in hazardous areas to quickly access crucial safety details using their mobile devices. This ensures they have the most up-to-date information without the need for reprinting risk assessments. 

QR codes can also link to training materials and safety protocols, providing instant access to essential resources, allowing employees to document observations and updates on the go.

Risk assessment and human error management

A risk assessment is a fundamental aspect of health and safety management. Improving human behaviour in health and safety requires understanding of how simplifying the risk assessment processes can help achieve this goal. 

Traditional methods of risk assessment, which often rely on paper-based processes and spreadsheets, can be cumbersome and prone to errors. Paper-based records and spreadsheets are difficult to organise and maintain, leading to challenges in accessing and sharing important safety information. 

These traditional approaches lack real-time capabilities. Updates to risk assessments or safety protocols must be manually communicated to all relevant personnel when using paper forms or spreadsheets. This requires reprinting and replacement every time there is a change. 

In addition, storing and managing physical documents requires significant administrative effort and space, and these documents are vulnerable to loss, damage, or unauthorised access. 

These manual processes can lead to delays, miscommunications, and outdated information, all of which compromise workplace safety and reduce overall worker engagement.

Technology's role in improving risk assessment

Digital risk assessment solutions commonly provided within health and safety management software can significantly enhance the process by making it more efficient, accurate, and simple to follow. 

By centralising documentation, you can store all information related to hazards, risk evaluations, control measures (pre and post-mitigation), and actions related to risks in a single place, making it readily available for audits and accessible to everyone. 

You can also enhance communication of your risk assessments among team members by using QR codes, allowing for paperless, on-the-go access to information. This increases risk awareness and improves collaboration.

Embracing technology to overcome human behaviour challenges

The biggest challenge in health and safety is undoubtedly human behaviour. By leveraging technology, health and safety leaders can address this challenge more effectively. 

User-friendly solutions can simplify safety tasks. Engaging training programs improve understanding and retention of safety protocols. Advanced technologies enhance risk assessment management, ensuring a proactive approach to safety.

Finally, it is crucial to note that the true benefits of these technologies come when they are designed with user adaptability in mind. A safer workplace can be achieved by reducing resistance to change and assisting users in navigating complexities.

Derya Sousa is CEO of Kianda EHSwise – Health and Safety Management Software. For more information visit https://www.kianda.com/ehswise/