Resources
As these programs become more widespread, so too do resources and articles debunking them. Take a look at some of the material available:
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On this site: Nancy Lessin BBS - A Union Viewpoint
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Professor Andrew Hopkins: "What are we to make of safe behaviour programs?" Working Paper 36, National Research Centre for OHS Regulation
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From the US the Steelworkers' Union report, 'Not walking the talk: DuPont's untold safety failures' [pdf] on the real OHS performance of DuPont - creators of one of the world's most widespread Behaviour Based Safety Programs, STOP. Also check out the USW DuPont council webpages and a new website Dupont Safety Revealed
- Excellent trade union resources on Behaviour Based Programs are available through Hazards Magazine, a terrific resource supported by the UK's peak union council the TUC. Unions and union OHS reps should subscribe to it.
- Global food and farming union federation IUF issued a serious health warning about BBS programmes at work. The union body noted: "Behaviour-based safety programmes, which are now the guiding method used by many companies, shift employer responsibility for maintaining a safe workplace onto workers by focusing on workers' 'behaviour' rather than the workplace hazards which are the source of workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities. They undermine union-based health and safety committees and workplace solidarity based on collective bargaining."In January 2019, its Food Processing Division released:
- UK's Trade Union Congress (TUC) 2011 guidance for unions criticising the behavioural safety approach as being unscientific and based on a 'blame the workers' approach - TUC guidance
Useful Trade Union Health and safety sites
Regular union newsfeeds or journals on health and safety can be subscribed to via:
- LabourStart
- Risks e- magazine (from the TUC)
- and our own SafetyNet Journal
Many other union sites have good health and safety information. Go to the Union links section of this site.
Last amended January 2019
More Items
BBS Kit - Section 1: What is BBS?
What are 'Behaviour Based Safety' Programs?...read more
BBS Kit - Section 2: What can we do?
If your employer is looking at introducing these programs – what can you do?...read more
BBS Kit - Section 3: Exercises
This section has a number of exercises that will help you and the members make some judgements about Behaviour Based Safety Programs....read more
BBS Kit - Section 4: Background information
This section contains background information from a range of different sources. It is designed to give reps and other interested people some more in-depth information about what BBS is and some experiences of it....read more