Both in Europe and the U.S., the chemical industry considers safe transportation of its products as an integral part of the Responsible Care® initiative, and strives for continuous improvement of safety performance. Increasing volume and work pressures have been imposing greater stresses on drivers of heavy goods vehicles. In an effort to further reduce the incidence of chemical transport highway accidents, a Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) program was launched by a group of industry associations - the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), the European Chemical Transport Association (ECTA), and the European Petrochemical Association (EPCA). Two GEMI members, Dow Chemical and DuPont, were among the participating companies. Dow Chemical introduced the BBS program in North America and subsequently has extended it to Europe, Latin America, and the Pacific. BBS is being systematically applied to each transportation mode, and Dow Chemical is measuring the results of implementation by its carriers.

BBS principles offer a proven, effective approach for influencing the behavior of drivers through observation, coaching and communication. To encourage consistent implementation of BBS in Europe, a joint working group with representatives from chemical and transport companies reviewed existing European programs and developed a set of best practice BBS Guidelines.

These Guidelines outline how to improve transportation safety performance, and also demonstrate that safety and economic interests go hand in hand for all parties involved. For example, safety improvement has a positive effect on fuel consumption and other related costs such as maintenance costs and insurance premiums. The results of a pilot project at a Dutch transport company showed a decrease in fuel consumption of 4% to 8%, a decrease in accidents of more than 40%, and a annual net savings of approximately $1000 per driver per year.

The recommended process for a carrier to implement BBS involves the following steps:

1. Company management develops a BBS implementation plan and training program based on best practices.
2. BBS trainers are recruited internally or externally (e.g., from a training institute) and provided with instructional training.
3. BBS trainers provide individual training to drivers, including on-the-road observation and coaching.
4. BBS trainers produce an assessment report for each trained driver, which is stored in a database.
5. The drivers have access to a copy of their assessment report.
6. The company tracks performance indicators such as incident/accident statistics, fuel consumption, maintenance costs, insurance premiums, and fines.
7. Management analyzes the results and determines further steps toward continuous improvement.
8. The BBS implementation is verified during a tri-annual safety and quality assessment of the carrier.

The program requires active participation by various functions, including transportation planners, dispatchers, trainers, and drivers. For example, dispatchers need to avoid extended working hours, rush-orders, delayed or late instructions, and unrealistic delivery times. Therefore, successful implementation of BBS requires a top-down management commitment, and full integration into the carrier's culture, organization, and management systems.