BBS (Behaviour-Based Safety) features in many prevention programmes, and the principles and tools of BBS are covered in a dedicated article on this blog. One question remains once it comes to rolling BBS out: how do you avoid its pitfalls and run the approach so that it serves collective learning rather than individual control? C2D Prévention’s CSI division, a consultancy specialising in risk prevention and safety culture, answers with the CAP method, which links behavioural observation to work organisation and management.
Between 2018/19 and 2025/26 (provisional), worker fatalities in Great Britain fell from 147 to 126 (a fatal injury rate of 0.37 per 100,000 workers, one of the lowest on record) while RIDDOR-reported non-fatal injuries to employees fell to 209 per 100,000 employees in 2024/25, continuing a longer-term downward trend.
Source: Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain, 2026, 1 July 2026 (worker fatalities and rate: pp. 7, 19–20); HSE, Non-fatal injuries at work in Great Britain (RIDDOR/LFS overview).
Why is BBS a source of debate in safety approaches?
BBS is debated because part of the scientific literature accuses it of an individual-centred reading, to the detriment of management and work systems. In a historical analysis published in June 2026 in the journal Safety Science, Jean-Christophe Le Coze (INERIS) describes a tradition born in the United States in the 1970s, influential and controversial. Writers from the psychological tradition also ask whether BBS is a passing trend or a lasting solution. His study shows that BBS is not monolithic: it comes in three strands — classic, theoretical and organisational — which differ in the weight given to management and to the influence of the organisation on the job itself.
HSE’s data put the number of workers who sustained a self-reported non-fatal injury at 680,000 in 2024/25, up from 604,000 the year before, alongside 59,219 employee injuries reported by employers under RIDDOR and 128 worker fatalities (finalised figure). Falls from a height remain the leading cause of fatal injury, accounting for around a quarter of worker deaths; among non-fatal injuries reported under RIDDOR, slips, trips and falls on the same level account for 30% of cases, manual handling for 17% and falls from a height for 8%.
Manual handling, moving around site and working at height are situations that can be observed on the ground. Before launching an approach, C2D Prévention carries out a site safety assessment that fits within a BBS approach: on-site immersion, interviews and an anonymous survey sent to all employees, with no compliance assessment or sanction attached.
What pitfalls threaten a BBS approach?
A pitfall appears when behavioural observation is perceived as a tool for control or punishment. C2D Prévention’s BBS conference material links this perception to a loss of meaning, rejection on the ground and limited effectiveness. It recalls that BBS rests on two premises: behaviour is shaped by context, and it is logical for the people who adopt it. Behaviour is read here as an indicator of the system, not as an individual fault.
A second pitfall lies in the lack of follow-through on observations. Our article on the Behavioural Safety Visit (BSV), which historically grew out of BBS, notes that without the full cycle — observation, discussion, action and feedback to teams — the visit is reduced to a simple check. It adds that without an explicit framework ruling out any disciplinary use or individual assessment, teams take part for the duration of the visit without hidden practices and real risks coming to light.
A third pitfall concerns the expected scope of the approach. According to the same conference, BBS is not a fix for technical or organisational shortcomings: acting on behaviour means acting on the organisation, the working environment and management practices. Jean-Christophe Le Coze’s analysis also calls for field studies to better understand how BBS is actually used according to its different strands.
Want to set a shared framework with your managers and teams before rolling out BBS? Discover C2D Prévention’s Behaviour-Based Safety conference, lasting 30 to 45 minutes, delivered in person or remotely.
How can BBS be deployed as a lever for learning?
It means framing the purpose with teams, observing the real work being done, then turning each observation into action on the organisation, equipment or training. The framing makes clear that observations feed neither disciplinary action nor individual assessment, and distinguishes understandable human error from repeated, deliberate violations, in a just-culture logic.
Observation focuses on what people actually do: gestures and posture, movement, use of protective equipment, cooperation between colleagues. It also covers the time, resource and ergonomic constraints that shape these practices.
A study published in 2024 in the journal Work illustrates this logic. It examines an electrical works company that set up a BBS observation programme in January 2019. The researchers analysed 3,891 at-risk behaviours logged in the programme’s reports and 141 survey responses. The most frequently flagged at-risk behaviour was exposure to the “line of fire”, and respondents reported that the safety climate had improved since the programme began. The company adapted the communication used in its safety meetings, replaced protective equipment with better-quality models and revised its online training to better reflect the tasks concerned.
On the delivery side, C2D Prévention’s CAP method unfolds in four phases — understand, structure, embed the change and keep on course — built on three levers: human, organisational and technical. Its approach is systemic: safety is presented as the product of the organisation, management and the real work being done, not just of individual behaviours.
Overall, BBS remains a plural tradition: depending on which strand is followed, it puts the individual or the organisation at the centre of the analysis. For it to serve prevention, three elements need to be worked through with teams: the framework set at the outset, the follow-through given to observations, and action on the work system. C2D Prévention supports these rollouts, from the initial assessment to long-term embedding, with the CAP method and its monitoring tools.
Key takeaways
- BBS is a tradition born in the United States in the 1970s, influential and controversial, which comes in three strands (Le Coze, Safety Science, June 2026).
- The debate centres on the place given to the individual relative to management and work systems.
- An approach perceived as a tool for control or punishment goes hand in hand, according to C2D Prévention, with a loss of meaning and rejection on the ground.
- The cycle of observation, discussion, action and feedback to teams determines how useful the observations are.
- A 2024 study (Work) describes a company that changed its safety meetings, protective equipment and training based on the behaviours observed.
FAQ
Is BBS a tool for controlling employees?
No, as C2D Prévention presents it, BBS aims to understand the real work being done, not to control people. Behaviour is treated here as an indicator of the system, not as an individual fault. The approach can be perceived as a control tool when its framework is not set out clearly: stating from the outset that observations feed neither disciplinary action nor individual assessment is a key point of support.
What criticisms are levelled at BBS?
Part of the literature accuses BBS of an individualistic angle, to the detriment of management and work systems. Another question under debate is its durability: passing trend or lasting solution. Jean-Christophe Le Coze notes in Safety Science (June 2026) that BBS covers several strands and calls for field studies on how it is used.
What should be done with the observations gathered in a BBS approach?
Observations are used to identify the tasks linked to at-risk behaviours, then to act on the work system. In the study published in 2024 in Work, the company adapted its safety meetings, replaced protective equipment and revised its online training. A BSV follows a four-step cycle: observation, discussion, action and feedback to teams.
What is the difference between BBS and the Behavioural Safety Visit (BSV)?
BSVs historically grew out of BBS approaches centred on behavioural observation. Today, they also take in the working context, company culture and H&S organisation. A BSV is a period of observing real work followed by a discussion, carried out by a manager, an H&S officer or a team member.
Who can carry out the observations in a BBS approach?
Observations can be carried out by frontline managers, H&S officers or employee safety representatives, provided they are trained in factual observation and non-judgemental dialogue. Trained practitioners use behavioural checklists adapted to the company’s activities and risks. These points are covered in more detail in our articles on BBS and on the BSV.
Further reading
Why BBS (Behavior-Based Safety) is the key to sustainably reducing workplace accidents: sets out the principles of the approach, its implementation and the role of the KBI tool.
BBS (Behavior-Based Safety): a proven method for effective prevention and a 100% safety culture: traces the origins of BBS, how it works and its tools.
What is a Behavioural Safety Visit (BSV)?: details how a BSV unfolds, from preparation to follow-up actions.
See also
The CAP method: the four phases of C2D Prévention’s overall support programme.
Behaviour-Based Safety (BBS) conference: a shared 30-to-45-minute framework on what BBS is and isn’t.
Site safety assessment: on-site immersion, interviews and an anonymous survey, within a BBS approach.
Preparing or relaunching a BBS approach and want to set the framework with your teams? Contact C2D Prévention to discuss your prevention needs.
Sources
Health and Safety Executive (HSE). (2026). Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain, 2026. https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/fatalinjuries.pdf
Health and Safety Executive (HSE). (2025). Non-fatal injuries at work in Great Britain. https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/index.htm
Le Coze, J.-C. (2026). The untold story of Behaviour-Based Safety (BBS). Safety Science, 198, 107162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2026.107162
Yang, E., Kim, Y., & Rodgers, C. (2024). Effects of a behavior-based safety observation program: Promoting safe behaviors and safety climate at work. Work, 77(1), 133-145. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-220465
C2D Prévention. (2026). Behaviour-Based Safety (BBS) conference: what’s it really about? https://www.c2dprevention.com/accompagnement-securite-et-coaching/conferences-securite-en-entreprise/conference-bbs/
C2D Prévention. (2026). The CAP method. https://www.c2dprevention.com/methode-cap/
C2D Prévention. (2026). Site safety assessment. https://www.c2dprevention.com/accompagnement-securite-et-coaching/etat-des-lieux/
C2D Prévention. (2025). What is a Behavioural Safety Visit (BSV)? https://www.c2dprevention.com/blog/quest-ce-quune-visite-comportementale-de-securite-vcs/
C2D Prévention. (2025). BBS (Behavior-Based Safety): a proven method for effective prevention and a 100% safety culture. https://www.c2dprevention.com/blog/la-bbs-behavior-based-safety-une-methode-eprouvee-pour-une-prevention-efficace-et-une-culture-100-securite/
C2D Prévention. (2025). Why BBS (Behavior-Based Safety) is the key to sustainably reducing workplace accidents.https://www.c2dprevention.com/blog/pourquoi-la-bbs-behavior-based-safety-est-la-cle-pour-reduire-durablement-les-accidents-de-travail/