It said such programmes, which focus on worker behaviour, are often brought in by the company to address health and safety issues, but fail to address union concerns and shift responsibility from the employer to staff.
However, Peter Ellis, Unite national officer for the paper and corrugating industries, said the schemes don't work, and cost a lot of money to implement.
He said: "Too many employers are introducing behavioural safety schemes thinking they are the answer to everything on health and safety.
"We know from our experience, dealing with safety in thousands of workplaces, that hazards and unsafe conditions cause injury and illness. When the hazards are properly identified and fixed, injury and illness decrease."
Unite argues that to prevent unsafe acts, management should do more than just identify specific behaviours and aim to change them by observing and monitoring workers.
Involving Unite safety reps and identifying hazards and fixing them is the real route to safer workplaces.
Bud Hudspith, Unite health and safety adviser, said the campaign will initially consist of 2,000 posters being sent out to paper mills and converting companies over the next week.
He said: "The main aim is to raise awareness, and this campaign has been launched as a result of joint discussions between UK paper and corrugating workers represented by Unite and their US counterparts represented by the United Steel Workers.
"This is not an issue confined to the paper and corrugating industries, but one that has been recognised to exist in both the US and UK paper related industries.
Unite said that many behavioural safety programmes are designed to undermine trade union activity on health and safety, while shifting the blame for accidents and poor health and safety from management to workers.
Ellis added: "Safety reps need to be involved in all decision making processes around health and safety so that they can bring their expertise to any discussions on what is needed to improve workplace health and safety.
"It is important that workers and unions achieve the fundamental goals of the union – achieving safer, healthier and more hazard-free jobs."
