Course overview
Workplace incidents rarely result from a single unsafe act. They emerge when task design, workload, supervision, equipment, communication, procedures and organisational decisions combine to make error more likely or recovery more difficult. Behavioural safety programmes can improve performance when they focus on observable work, meaningful feedback and system conditions rather than blaming individuals. Poorly designed programmes, however, can suppress reporting, create superficial compliance and overlook failed controls.
This course equips participants to examine safety behaviour through established human factors methods. Participants use HSE HSG48 to identify individual, job and organisational influences; apply task analysis and SHERPA error prediction to critical work; assess workload, fatigue, communication and situational awareness; and use behavioural observations without turning them into surveillance. The course also addresses just culture, psychological safety, learning from incidents, barrier analysis, safety culture and implementation governance.
Teaching combines concise instructor briefings with realistic cases from construction, manufacturing, energy, logistics, healthcare and process operations. Participants work with incident narratives, observation data, task descriptions and programme design decisions, then translate findings into practical workplace actions. Each participant leaves with a behavioural safety implementation plan, a critical-task analysis structure, an observation and feedback template, and measures for tracking programme effectiveness.
The course suits safety professionals, operational leaders and technical specialists who already work with workplace risk controls and need stronger methods for understanding why work is performed as it is. It is particularly relevant where frontline decisions, contractor interfaces, shift work or complex procedures affect safety performance.
