Abstract
Aim: The purpose of this article is to present the implementation of the behavioural observation programme in a large manufacturing company belonging to a global concern in the household appliances industry. The purpose of the programme was to increase the awareness of the employees regarding the risks and health and safety rules. This awareness helps to minimize the number of accidents and potential accidents.
Introduction: Occupational safety includes technical, organisational and economic measures to protect employees against threats that may occur in the work environment. Popularisation of the subject of occupational health and safety and action in the field of accident prevention is one of the obligations of the employer and employees of the occupational health and safety service (OHS).
Project and methods: The research used the method of covert observation of employees’ behaviour while performing work at particular positions and moving around the plant. The research tool was a free interview.
Results: The results of the conducted research made it possible to answer the question how behavioural observation programmes improve work safety. As a result of the analysis of the collected data, it can be concluded that the implementation of the behavioural observation programme increased the level of operational safety, increased safety culture in the organisation and raised the number of safe behaviours among employees. The results of behavioural observations constitute the source of data and the basis for taking further corrective actions in the area of occupational health and safety.
Conclusions: In case of the workplace described in the article, it would be advisable to extend the programme to other locations of the factory, including laboratories, maintenance area and offices. Behaviour-based safety (BBS) could also be used in other areas of the organisation’s activities, e.g., during exercises of the factory rescue staff (fire protection and evacuation) or audits in the field of quality and environmental protection.
Keywords: behaviourism, occupational health and safety, work safety culture, behavioural observation programmes, operational safety
Type of article: original scientific article