Could Adopting a Coaching Style Transform Your Safety Performance

In contrast, a coaching approach engages employees by fostering ownership of their own safety. This style builds on the premise that individuals closest to the work are best placed to identify risks and implement effective controls. Rather than dictating actions, coaching facilitates open dialogue, enabling employees to reflect on their work practices, identify potential issues, and co-develop solutions.

The Core Principles of Safety Coaching

A coaching approach to safety is grounded in several key principles:

• Collaboration: Encouraging two-way conversations rather than one-sided directives.
• Empowerment: Helping employees take responsibility for their safety decisions.
• Personalisation: Tailoring guidance to the unique challenges of each worker or team.
• Growth-Oriented Feedback: Providing constructive feedback that fosters learning rather than instilling blame or fear.

These principles align with Human and Organisational Performance (HOP) thinking, which views human variability as an asset rather than a liability. Instead of punishing errors, HOP advocates an understanding of the conditions that can lead to mistakes and rather than blaming individuals for their errors, analyses the context surrounding the incident and addresses systemic factors to prevent recurrence.

The Business Case for Coaching in Safety

1. Improved Engagement and Buy-In

When employees are coached rather than instructed, they feel valued and respected. This sense of inclusion fosters engagement. A study by Gallup (2016) found that engaged employees are 70% less likely to experience workplace accidents, underlining the critical link between engagement and safety.

Through coaching, employees are encouraged to voice concerns and share ideas, creating a culture of collaboration. For instance, an employee might suggest a more ergonomic tool setup after reflecting on a repetitive strain injury risk. In a prescriptive model, this feedback might never surface.

2. Enhanced Problem-Solving and Adaptability

Coaching fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills, equipping employees to address unforeseen safety challenges. In dynamic environments, such as construction or manufacturing, this adaptability is crucial.

By involving workers in identifying risks and making them accountable for developing their own solutions, organisations build resilience, as employees become more adept at recognising early warning signs and intervening before incidents occur.

3. Building Trust and Psychological Safety

Coaching prioritises open communication, which fosters trust between employees and leaders. This trust is foundational for psychological safety — the belief that one can speak up without fear of punishment or ridicule. Research by Amy Edmondson highlights that teams with high psychological safety suffer fewer accidents, as employees are more likely to raise concerns before they escalate into more serious events.

A coaching approach reinforces this trust by focusing on learning rather than blame. For example, if a near-miss occurs, a coach might ask, “What factors contributed to this situation, and how can we improve our systems?” rather than, “Why didn’t you follow the procedure?”

4. Long-Term Behavioural Change

While prescriptive methods can enforce compliance, they often fail to instil lasting behavioural change. Employees may follow the rules out of obligation rather than understanding. Coaching addresses this gap by focusing on mindset and motivation.

The GROW model (Goal, Reality, Options, Will) is a popular coaching framework that facilitates behavioural change. For example, a safety coach might guide an employee through this model to address a recurring issue, such as neglecting PPE:

➡️ Goal: What do you want to achieve? (e.g., Consistent PPE usage)

➡️ Reality: What’s happening now? (e.g., PPE not worn as it’s uncomfortable to wear)

➡️ Options: What could you do differently? (e.g., Provide more appropriate PPE choices)

➡️ Will: What’s your plan moving forward? (e.g., Coaching sessions with workers to get feedback on PPE)

This reflective process helps employees internalise safety principles, leading to sustained improvements.

Comparing Traditional Training Models and Coaching

Traditional training models typically rely on standardised instruction, such as classroom sessions, e-learning, and procedural walkthroughs. While these methods are efficient for disseminating information, they often fail to ensure long-term change, as employees may passively absorb content without fully integrating it into their daily practices. For example, a recent study published in the Canadian Journal for Infection Control found that by utilising coaching-based safety interventions, adherence to hand hygiene and PPE protocols improved significantly when compared to standard training practices (2024).

Coaching provides a dynamic and interactive approach. When utilised in safety training, coaching allows employees to discuss specific risks they encounter, develop tailored solutions, and actively practice new behaviours under guidance. This hands-on involvement fosters deeper learning and ownership.

In Summary

As workplaces become more complex and diverse, traditional safety methods struggle to keep pace. Coaching offers a flexible, human-centred alternative that empowers employees to take ownership of their safety while fostering trust and collaboration.