By: Martin Cloutier
This article is based on Hogan's ebook A Safer Personality
A word from Martin Cloutier
For more than twenty years, I have been driven by a simple question: what really shapes behaviour in the workplace? I have sought to better understand why individuals in similar roles respond differently and produce divergent outcomes—why some follow established processes while others do not, and why performance indicators can vary significantly across comparable organizations.
One explanation lies in personal differences. Organizations invest significant resources in standardizing work processes, but this approach proves incomplete in many contexts. This is especially true in workplace health and safety, where even the most robust training programs, equipment, and procedures cannot entirely eliminate deviations or incidents.
Addressing this challenge requires a deeper focus on the human factor. Identifying, understanding, and anticipating risk-related behaviours is critical to strengthening prevention strategies. Our partner Hogan has developed a rigorous assessment solution, which has already been adopted by several of our clients in the manufacturing sector. The following article examines the impact of human behaviour on workplace health and safety and highlights how personality assessments can enhance prevention efforts. It also features insights from our client ABB, a global leader in electrification and automation, who shares their experience implementing the Hogan assessment.
Enjoy!
Hogan ebook: A particularly relevant perspective
In workplace health and safety, organizations have traditionally focused on training, equipment, and protocols as primary levers for risk reduction. While these elements remain essential, Hogan’s SafeSystem approach addresses an equally critical dimension: the human factor.
A safe work environment cannot rely on systems alone. It also requires a deeper understanding of the ways individuals respond under pressure, interpret rules, and maintain focus. Despite robust training programs, incidents linked to human behaviour continue to occur—highlighting the need to integrate personality assessment into prevention strategies.
Workplace Health and Safety Week offers a timely opportunity for organizations to rethink their approaches to risk.
When behaviour shapes outcomes
The Chernobyl disaster has been linked to a failure to follow safety procedures. In contrast, the emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River demonstrated how composure and experience helped save the lives of everyone on board. The collapse of a construction crane in Manhattan underscored the consequences of risky behaviour and gaps in oversight.
These examples highlight that, in certain situations, behaviour can make all the difference.
From simple compliance to culture
Hogan’s approach encourages organizations to look beyond processes and place people at the centre of their safety strategies. Even with strong systems in place, the human factor can be underestimated. Embedding safety into daily behaviours—rather than treating it as a standalone initiative—helps build a more resilient and proactive culture of safety.
Hogan also notes that the cost of workplace incidents remains high, pointing to the limitations of system-based approaches that do not fully account for human behaviour.
Three levers to strengthen safety
Developing a safe work environment relies on three complementary levers:
- Individual personality
- A culture of engagement around safety
- Leadership
Personality provides insight into the ways individuals may respond to risk. A culture of engagement improves understanding of real-world challenges on the ground. Leadership embeds safety into everyday management, coaching, and development practices.
A personality-centered approach
Hogan’s Safety Report adds depth to traditional prevention approaches by assessing behaviours that are linked to safety risks. Built on four decades of research, this tool enhances existing approaches by offering a more nuanced understanding of behaviour.
“Hogan Safety Assessments have helped us make better hiring decisions through a behavioural lens, leading to the recruitment of talent aligned with our core cultural values, which include safety and integrity.”
Katie Bessette, CHRP
Vice President HR ELIP Canada & Country HR Manager Canada, ABB
Six characteristics linked to risk-related behaviours
The Safety Report identifies six characteristics that may influence workplace safety:
-
Defiant–Compliant
-
Panicky–Strong
-
Irritable–Poised
-
Distractible–Vigilant
-
Reckless–Cautious
-
Arrogant–Trainable
These characteristics help organizations better understand tendencies such as rule-breaking, loss of focus, unnecessary risk-taking, and reactions under pressure. They also highlight profiles associated with stability, attentiveness, and openness to learning.
A shared responsibility
Safety is a collective responsibility that exists at every level:
- Organizations must set clear expectations and communicate them consistently
- Managers must recognize risk situations and respond appropriately
-
Individuals must understand the impacts of their behaviours and adjust their actions accordingly
A more complete view of prevention
The message is clear: process-based approaches remain essential, but their impact is strengthened when they are combined with a deeper understanding of behaviour.
For organizations, this opens the door to a more comprehensive approach to prevention—one that connects systems, leadership, and human dynamics.