Health and Safety Executive Behavioural Insights in Health

Health and Safety Executive Behavioural Insights in Health and Safety: INSPECT Bev Bishop beverley. bishop@hse. gov. uk

Nudges in Health and Safety • • • Traditional health and safety often assume rationality… But we think in different ways ‘System 1’ (subconscious) and ‘System 2’ (conscious) behaviour

Incentives What are the deterrents to poor H&S behaviour? How can we incentivise desirable behaviour by emphasising the immediate costs? Norms Is the desired behaviour a norm in health and safety in your industry? Are you inadvertently reinforcing negative norms? Salience How can you convey messages in ways that are attention-grabbing and relate to personal experience? Priming How can you make the visible environment one that (subliminally) supports safe practice? Emotion Use emotional cues, such as people’s reactions to certain words, sights and sensations? Personal effect of resulting health conditions on family of sufferer? Choice architecture Trust What are the ‘defaults’ in the organisations you deal with? How can risk be ‘designed out’. How can it be made easier for employees to reduce risks? What would make it easier to report near misses? Who are the trusted messengers for each of the different constituencies that are at risk? How can you encourage them to ‘spread the word’? Consider social connections, expertise and influence.

Salience – Draws attention, is ‘catchy’ and easy to remember

Priming: Subliminally supporting safe practice

Choice structure: Is it easy to make the right choice?

Problems and limitations • Much we don’t know about subconscious influences – Test, learn, adapt • • Organisational dimension – ORGANISER Regulatory certainty can still be needed (for avoiding catastrophe)