Behavioral Precursor x Timeline = Wide Angle Lens | Almost a readable and viewable awareness booster

Years ago in the healthcare sector, I was interested in the possible timelines when it came to changing behaviors and habits. Various behavioral precursors emerged, especially related to the various target groups in (hospital) patient safety, such as miscommunication, non-adherence (medicaments, protocols), fatigue, burnout, insufficiency (training), distractions, interruptions, complacency, overconfidence, silentness (no speaking up), blame culture.

Among the strongest similar precursors between healthcare and my subsequent involvement in industrial safety, I tentatively chose Complacency - usually "the elephant in the precursor room" - and constructed a possible, subsequent timeline. In 5 stages over a total of 20 months. A slow precursor, but one that packs a punch. It would be interesting to counter-state a presumably fast precursor such as rushing or frustration - with an already identified rapid timeline of 15 days.

Timeline Complacency > Industrial Safety

The different letter volumes (intensities of change) of the “diagnosis texts” per stage, the increase in the dangers described, brings into play, on the one hand, oppressive feelings about moments we have experienced ourselves, but on the other hand, questions arise about possible countermeasures.

In addition to this representation, I personally would like to see a combined need for a precise description of the extrinsic and intrinsic behavioral factors, but that would probably make the graphic confusing.

This proposed timeline makes it clear that a solely valid self-understanding of “context drives behavior” is not enough here. What's more, effective risk reductions cannot be achieved even with conditioned BBS behavior based safety campaigns.

The following countermeasures are presented as a mix of processes, empathy & holism, respect & collaboration as well as numerous human-centered approaches. The “one size fits all” solution in the context of human nature with its 1000 shades and anomalies challenges everyone involved in incident analysis. An attitude or personal setting that helps enormously here is if you like people.

Industrial safety is a journey without end, and that’s the good news - it develops parallel to the ongoing evolution of people, the economy and society. The richness of the topics resembles a galaxy of stars and offers almost endless opportunities for exploration - a dream job.

Welcome to the universe of vastness. I recommend a tea or something similar every now and then during your ride.

Countermeasures (construction for stages 2 to 5)

The key terms are understood to be modular, interchangeable, selectable and usable depending on the situation, and mixable between the formats Reflex (more traditional, mechanistic) and Conscious (more non-traditional, innovative, human-centric).

Stage 2 | Reflex – refresher learnings, focused supervision, open safety concern communication, simplified and consequenceless reporting, recognition & rewards, corrective actions, compliance audits.

Conscious – collaborative learning circles, reflective practice sessions, storytelling workshops/precursor toolbox talks, participatory design and feedback, stress reduction nudges (reminders or prompts), peer mentoring, emotional intelligence development, celebration of learning and growth, adaptive safety systems (real-time data, feedback), leadership video snippets, joint behavioral interventions.

Stage, 3 M8-M10 | Reflex – mandatory safety briefings, visible safety reminders, random audits, active leadership involvement, peer-to-peer observations, positive reinforcement.

Conscious – employee-led safety workshops, experential learning activities, reflective safety dialogues, safety innovation challenge, personalized safety coaching, recognition of safety insights, behavioral precursor knowledge sessions.

Stage 3, M11-M12 | Reflex – safety culture workshops, safety bulletins, open safety forums, scheduled drills.

Conscious – continuous feedback loops, real-life case studies, guest speakers, interactive safety labs, reflective journaling, collaborative problem-solving sessions, empathy and communication trainings, personal safety narratives, embedding specific microlearnings about complacency (like Talent Cards).

Stage 4, M13-M15 | Reflex – mandatory safety briefings, visible safety reminders, random audits, active leadership involvement, peer-to-peer observations, positive reinforcement.

Conscious – reflective practice groups, experiental learning activities, real-time feedback mechanisms, knowledge sharing, knowledge sessions about intrinsic and extrinsic driven behavior factors.

Stage 4, M16-M18 | Reflex – safety culture workshops, safety bulletins, open safety forums, scheduled drills.

Conscious – peer-led safety conversations, hands-on safety challenges, engaging safety simulations.

Stage 5, M19-M20 | Reflex – comprehensive incident investigation, external review, root cause analysis RCA, long-term preventive measures, update safety protocols, reinforce compliance, leadership commitment, promote safety awareness, empower stop work, simplified reporting processes, incident sharing and learning.

Conscious – co-creation of safety solutions, peer-led safety circles, reflective practice and journaling, interactive learning platform, well-being programs, collaborative root cause analysis, supportive leadership involvement.