Safety Coaching: A critical literature review

Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to critically review the research literature on safety coaching, with a particular focus towards work in safety critical environments such as oil and gas, manufacturing and driving.

Design/methodology/approach – A literature review was undertaken of existing research to assess whether safety coaching could be applied in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Findings –The paper suggests that coaching may offer some potential in helping support learning, behaviour change and is consistent with feedback and development approaches used in behavioural-based safety.

Research limitations/implications – Further research would be needed to test thevalue of coaching to this new environment.

Practical implications – The paper informs practice on the development of coach training for safety coaching offshore.

Originality/value – The paper offers a new understanding of the potential of safety coaching in a new area of practice.

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