Implementation of Behavior-Based Safety in the Workplace: A Review of Conceptual and Empirical Literature

Abstract

Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) methodology is more and more implemented by companies in several industrial fields for preserving workers’ safety through a structured behavioral intervention with measurable effects as part of a socially sustainable approach for health and wellness care at the workplace. Although the traditional BBS components have been widely described in literature, its evolution over the years in terms of application strategies and complexity levels still requires some insights. Also, it is often difficult to identify clear boundaries between “standard” BBS and similar or complementary interventions. To clarify some of these aspects, in this work approximately 230 scientific papers about BBS and related topics, published from the 1970s until 2023, were retrieved from the Scopus database, classified in a structured way, and analyzed from different perspectives. Results highlight the main peculiarities, limits, and strengths of BBS in its evolution, from a conceptual as well as a practical point of view, with a particular focus on the trends observed in the last two decades. Outcomes suggest that future prospects of BBS will integrate the successful traditional principles of positive feedback and observation with new elements, including technological aspects, full involvement of the company’s levels, and attention to workers’ peculiarities, thus creating variants of the approach suitable for different contexts.