Our perception of the consequences of our actions affects our safety behavior

What has most influence on our safety behaviors? The ABC model, which is well-known in the scientific literature, can help to answer this question. Typically, individuals are understood to behave as a function of the perceived consequences of their actions.

These everyday decisions are made very quickly, and are, for the most part, unconscious. The behaviors that are adopted most often are those for which we perceive a certain, immediate and positive consequence: saving time or increasing comfort, for example. But this can make us act in ways that are detrimental to prevention, because the consequences that are perceived as the most likely, and beneficial do not always flow from safe behaviors ...

In his Thoughts on Safety Culture, Camille Brunel dissects the ABC model and deciphers what influences safety behaviors. He encourages organizations to act on the perception of risks. For example, by setting up a program to observe working practices, and encourage positive feedback from colleagues and management, in order to encourage safe behavior.