What are we to make of safe behaviour programs?

Safe behaviour programs are currently a popular strategy for improving safety in large organiza-tions. This paper provides a critical look at the assumptions that underlie such programs and identi-Wes some of their limitations. Safe behaviour programs run the risk of assuming that unsafe behaviour is the only cause of acci-dents worth focusing on. The reality is that unsafe behaviour is often merely the last link in a causal chain and not necessarily the most eVective link to focus on, for the purposes of prevention. One major drawback of these programs is that they miss critically important unsafe behaviour, such as attempts by workers to re-start processes that have been temporarily interrupted. Conven-tional safe behaviour programs aimed at front line workers are also of no use in preventing accidents in which the behaviour of front line workers is not involved. Given that it is the behaviour of management that is most critical in creating a culture of safety in any organization, behavioural safety observations are likely to have their greatest impact if directed upwards, at managers. The paper concludes with an appendix about accident repeater programs that are sometimes introduced along with safe behaviour programs