The Leadership and Worker Involvement toolkit is aimed particularly at small and medium sized businesses and is designed

to help improve your health and safety and bring additional benefits to your business performance and productivity.

The ABC analysis

ABC (Activators, Behaviours, Consequences) analysis is a tool to help investigate and understand why people behave in a certain way. activators the immediate or underlying reasons which trigger the behaviour; the behaviour itself consequences the impact on the individual of that behaviour, immediately or over a longer period.

Example of an ABC analysis for unsafe behaviour Activators

Fellow workers do not wear hearing protection I do not know where to get hearing protection I know that rules on wearing hearing protection are not enforced I do not wear hearing protection

Behaviour

Consequences
I do not stand out from my fellow workers I put up with high volumes of noise I will suffer from hearing loss eventually

Example of an ABC analysis for safe behaviour Activators

Fellow workers do wear hearing protection I know that hearing protectors are available, and where to get them I know that hearing protection is enforced I do wear hearing protection

Behaviour

Consequences
I am protected from a noisy environment I have less risk of suffering hearing loss I avoid getting picked up by my supervisor

There are two main benefits from carrying out an ABC analysis, you can; Identify the reasons for unsafe behaviour and you can work to change it. Identify the consequences of unsafe behaviour and you can find ways to reinforce safe behaviour. To influence behaviour, influence the consequences. Reinforce safe behaviour by introducing consequences of behaviour which are soon, certain and positive, e.g. give praise straightaway when you see a worker wearing hearing protection; enforce the rule immediately when you see a worker at risk. For further information see www.hse.gov.uk/construction.
Developed by the construction industrys Leadership and Worker Engagement Forum. Hosted by HSE 06/11

Leadership and Worker Involvement Toolkit > The seven steps > Step 2: Find the root of the issues > Further tools

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