Futility of Punishment in Safety Training

According to Dr. E. Scott Geller, those responsible for safety often rely too much on punishment to correct behavior. He points out the futility of this approach in his book, People-Based Safety: The Source. Instead, the reasons for errors and calculated risks need to be discovered and addressed. Before meting out punishment, answer the following seven questions. In most cases, Dr. Geller asserts that you'll find another type of corrective action is more appropriate.

1. Was a specific rule or regulation violated?

2. Was the behavior intentional?

3. Was a rule knowingly violated?

4. How much were other employees endangered?

5. What supports the behavior?

6. How frequent is the behavior?
7. How often have others escaped punishment?