Components of a Proven Safety Process

To repeat, punishment is like a drug that produces an immediate high. It works, and it works immediately. Because punishment is so effective, we can easily get hooked on its use. In many of our relationships, both at work and at home, the immediate outcome can cause us to become overcritical and pay undue attention to problems and actions that irritate us. Our relationships can get puUed out of balance, and we may come to rely too heavily on criticism and corrective feedback. 

Fortunately, research conducted during the last decade can help us to identify the key components of a more positive system for addressing safety. T vo noted researchers in the field of behavioral psychology, Judy Komaki and Beth Sulzer-Azaroff, have identified several primary features of an effective safety process. These two researchers and their associates have demonstrated and proved the effectiveness of the following components for improving safety  

Researchers have not yet conducted extensive research into the importance of the individual components of these studies, though Komaki s (1986) research suggests that the observation process may be the most critical element of the package. Conducting research into the effectiveness of each of the components of behavior-based safety is difficult because each component contributes to only a part of the effectiveness of the intervention package. The studies that have investigated the individual components of this approach are included below. 

Tom Krause is well known for his work in behavior-based safety. He documented the first long-term success of behavioral safety. His data showed that 73 companies were able to sustain and continue safety improvements for five years following implementation (Krause et ak, 1999). This work is particularly significant because many of the early interventions appeared to be short lived, lasting only for the duration of the research study. 

A recent series of studies suggests the importance of employees conducting safety observations. Austin and Alvero (in press, also Chapter 27) have shown that when employees conduct safety observations using a safety checklist, their performance of safety practices on the checklist improves and becomes more consistent. These studies lend credibility to our own data suggesting that (1) departments with high levels of observations have lower injury rates than departments that are not as successful at conducting observations and (2) the injury rates of employees who participate in conducting observations are 50 percent lower than those of employees who do not conduct observations. 

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