The prediction of safe lifting behavior: an application of the theory of planned behavior

PROBLEM: Injuries resulting from lifting are costly, and create significant pain and discomfort. While engineering controls are the most effective means of reducing risks, most organizations continue to rely on manual lifting techniques. The problem, however, is that the use of safe-lifting techniques is inconsistent and managers have a difficult time motivating use of these techniques. Consequently, it is important to understand the factors driving safe-lifting behaviors. METHODS: This study used a survey to apply the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen., I., 1991. The theory of planned behavior. Organization Behavior and Human Processes, 50, 179-211) to safe-lifting among 136 materials management employees at a heavy manufacturing organization. Structural equation modeling and factor analysis were employed to analyze relationships among constructs. RESULTS: Results revealed that perceived behavioral control and intention were the strongest predictors of safe-lifting behavior. Subjective norms, to a lesser degree, were also important influences on intention. Attitudes did not surface as effective direct predictors of safe-lifting behavior, but did affect behavior and intent via mediating factors (subjective norms and perceived behavioral control). Finally, the theory of planned behavior was supported as an effective model explaining safe-lifting behavior, and had potential application for many other safety-related behaviors. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Results from this study emphasize the importance of perceived behavioral control as a factor associated with safety-related behavior.     

我国安全生产的形势和任务

论述了我国安全生产工作发展概况与安全的关系 ,分析了我国安全生产状况 ;指出了我国安全生产面临的主要难点 ;提出了我国安全生产工作的重任所在 ;笔者认为 ,只要从实际出发 ,坚持改革、标本兼治和技术创新 ,发挥政府、企业、劳动者三方协调机制的作用 ,借鉴和吸收国际成功经验 ,我国安全生产水平是会列于世界先进行列的。     

The acceptance of personal protective equipment among Hong Kong construction workers: An integration of technology acceptance model and theory of planned behavior with risk perception and safety climate

Introduction: The phenomenon that construction workers do not use personal protective equipment (PPE) is a major reason for the high occurrence frequency of accidents in the construction industry. However, little efforts have been made to quantitatively examine the factors influencing construction workers’ acceptance of PPE. Method: In the current study, a PPE acceptance model for construction workers (PAMCW) was proposed to address the noted need. The PAMCW incorporates the technology acceptance model, theory of planned behavior, risk perception, and safety climate for explaining construction worker acceptance of PPE. 413 construction workers participated in this study to fill out a structured questionnaire. The PAMCW was analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results: Results provide evidence of the applicability of the technology acceptance model and theory of planned behavior to the PPE acceptance among construction workers. The positive influence of safety climate and risk perception-severity on attitude toward using PPE was significant. Safety climate positively influences perceived usefulness. Risk perception-worry and unsafe was found to positively affect intention to use PPE. Practical Applications: Practical suggestions for increasing construction workers’ use of PPE are also discussed.     

Development and initial validation of an Aviation Safety Climate Scale

PROBLEM: A need was identified for a consistent set of safety climate factors to provide a basis for aviation industry benchmarking. METHOD: Six broad safety climate themes were identified from the literature and consultations with industry safety experts. Items representing each of the themes were prepared and administered to 940 Australian commercial pilots. RESULTS: Data from half of the sample (N=468) were used in an exploratory factor analysis that produced a 3-factor model of Management commitment and communication, Safety training and equipment, and Maintenance. A confirmatory factor analysis on the remaining half of the sample showed the 3-factor model to be an adequate fit to the data. DISCUSSION: The results of this study have produced a scale of safety climate for aviation that is both reliable and valid. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: This study developed a tool to assess the level of perceived safety climate, specifically of pilots, but may also, with minor modifications, be used to assess other groups' perceptions of safety climate.     

The theory of planned behavior (TPB) and texting while driving behavior in college students

Objective: To examine the role of intent and other theory of planned behavior (TPB) constructs in predicting college students' willingness to text while driving (TWD).

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. 243 male and female college students enrolled in the 2013–2014 academic year in the College of Health, Human Services & Nursing completed a survey on TWD. Inclusion criteria: All races and ethnicities, ≥18 years of age, cell phone owner, and licensed driver.

Results: Over 70% of the sample (n = 243) reported talking on a cell phone and sending and receiving text messages “at least a few times” while driving within the past week. However, only 27% reported being stopped by police. Of these, 22% reported being fined. Within the past 30 days, 26% reported reading or sending TWD and having to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting another car or pedestrian(s) as a result. In all, 47% of the variance in intention to send TWD was accounted for by the full TPB model. Intention, in turn, predicted willingness to TWD. Intention also mediated the relationship between perceived behavioral control and willingness to TWD.

Conclusion: Attitude was found to be the strongest predictor of intention. In addition, intention was found to mediate the relationship of willingness to TWD on perceived behavioral control. These findings highlight potential factors that could be targeted in behavioral change interventions seeking to prevent TWD.     

Safety climate in university and college laboratories: impact of organizational and individual factors

INTRODUCTION: Universities and colleges serve to be institutions of education excellence; however, problems in the areas of occupational safety may undermine such goals. Occupational safety must be the concern of every employee in the organization, regardless of job position. Safety climate surveys have been suggested as important tools for measuring the effectiveness and improvement direction of safety programs. Thus, this study aims to investigate the influence of organizational and individual factors on safety climate in university and college laboratories. METHOD: Employees at 100 universities and colleges in Taiwan were mailed a self-administered questionnaire survey; the response rate was 78%. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis of variance revealed that organizational category of ownership, the presence of a safety manager and safety committee, gender, age, title, accident experience, and safety training significantly affected the climate. Among them, accident experience and safety training affected the climate with practical significance. RECOMMENDATIONS: The authors recommend that managers should address important factors affecting safety issues and then create a positive climate by enforcing continuous improvements.     

Exploratory analysis of the safety climate and safety behavior relationship

Problem: Safety climate refers to the degree to which employees believe true priority is given to organizational safety performance, and its measurement is thought to provide an “early warning” of potential safety system failure(s). However, researchers have struggled over the last 25 years to find empirical evidence to demonstrate actual links between safety climate and safety performance.Method: A safety climate measure was distributed to manufacturing employees at the beginning of a behavioral safety initiative and redistributed one year later.Results: Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that perceptions of the importance of safety training were predictive of actual levels of safety behavior. The results also demonstrate that the magnitude of change in perceptual safety climate scores will not necessarily match actual changes (r=0.56, n.s.) in employee's safety behavior.Discussion: This study obtained empirical links between safety climate scores and actual safety behavior. Confirming and contradicting findings within the extant safety climate literature, the results strongly suggest that the hypothesized climate-behavior-accident path is not as clear cut as commonly assumed.Summary: A statistical link between safety climate perceptions and safety behavior will be obtained when sufficient behavioral data is collected.Impact on Industry: The study further supports the use of safety climate measures as useful diagnostic tools in ascertaining employee's perceptions of the way that safety is being operationalized.     

建筑物应急疏散标识在干扰情境中的大学生视觉行为研究

为降低高校建筑物应急疏散标识周边干扰物对标识识别有效性的影响,找出干扰性最低的组合设计,通过引入尺寸、颜色、形状、位置4个参数,设计18种干扰情境,基于眼动技术,通过试验研究大学生在不同干扰情境下搜寻应急疏散标识的视觉行为.利用方差分析和F-聚类分析,对反应时间、首次进入兴趣区前用时、兴趣区首个注视点持续时间、扫视时间...     

企业安全管理群体行为与动力理论探讨

企业职工个体总是存在于某个群体之中 ,为了适应群体和群体环境 ,个体的安全行为与其单独行动时的行为有所不同。笔者首先讨论了群体的概念、特征和类型 ;然后给出了安全管理群体行为的概念 ,即群体行为主体在该群体组织内进行的与安全生产有关的活动就是安全管理的群体行为 ,以及安全管理群体行为的特征(群体行为的规律性、群体行为的可测量性、群体行为的可划分性、群体行为对个体的影响性 ) ;最后论述了安全管理中的群体动力理论和群体动力对职工安全行为的影响 ,包括对安全绩效的社会促进与促退作用、安全社会标准化倾向、群体压力和从众行为等     

Exploration of relationships between safety performance and unsafe behavior in the Chinese oil industry

Safety performance is comprised of two components, safety compliance and safety participation. However, relationships between safety performance and unsafe behavior have not been thoroughly investigated. In this work, scales for safety compliance and safety participation were revised for use in the oil industry, and job burnout scale was developed on the basis of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS). A structural equation model was then employed to investigate the interactions of these factors for 238 front-line oil workers from the PetroChina Huabei Oilfield Company in China. From the results, it was determined that workers' unsafe behavior could not be reduced significantly solely from these two dimensions of safety performance. Compared with safety participation, safety compliance was found to have a greater influence on unsafe behavior. However, job burnout was found to be a significant moderator between these two components and unsafe behavior. Furthermore, it was determined that oil workers' occupational psychological health conditions must be taken into account to improve organizational safety management and reduce workers’ unsafe behavior.     

中学生交通安全知识、态度、行为调查分析

为改善中学生交通安全现状,提高中学生交通安全教育水平,进行中学生交通安全知识、态度、行为(简称知信行,KAP)调查研究。对临沂市、滨州市中学生进行问卷调查,了解受调查中学生交通事故历史及交通安全教育接受情况。分析各年级中学生交通安全知信行差异,分析知信行的相关性以及教育对知信行的影响。研究发现:不同地区、年级的中学生在交通安全知信行上存在显著差异;中学生自行车交通出行是交通安全的共同问题;中学生交通行为与交通安全知识相关性强,行为与安全态度相关性弱,为改善中学生交通行为应加强交通安全知识教育;学生交通安全知信行与当前交通安全教育相关性低,教育形式和特点仍较为传统,教育对知信行改善作用有限。因此,在进行交通安全教育时,应考虑中学生中存在的差异,通过初步调查确定重点人群和显著问题进行针对性教育;内容应以安全知识为主,应强调自行车安全知识,形式和特点应适应当代中学生需要。     

Predicting bicycle helmet wearing intentions and behavior among adolescents

INTRODUCTION: Cycling accidents in Australia, especially those resulting in head injuries, are a substantive cause of death and disability; but despite legislation and evidence that helmets reduce the risk of head injury, few adolescents wear them. METHOD: This study employed a revised version of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; [Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179-211]) to investigate the determinants of helmet use among a sample of adolescents. Participants in the initial data collection were 294 high school students in Year 8 and Year 11, with 266 completing a follow-up questionnaire measuring behavior over the previous two weeks. RESULTS: Social norms, perceptions of control, and past behavior significantly predicted intentions to use helmets and perceptions of control and past behavior predicted actual helmet use. CONCLUSIONS: Strengthening the routine of helmet use and building young people's confidence that they can overcome any perceived barriers to helmet use will improve adherence to helmet wearing behavior.     

Distributed Safety Management as a tool for creating a safety culture in university students and future professionals

The main hypothesis of this work is that it is possible to create a safety culture not only in industrial or commercial organizations, but also in educational institutions. The goal is communicating a culture of safety to their students, which will be spread by the new professionals. Consequently, the objective of this paper is showing the results of first steps of application – establishing the baseline – of the Gaining Distributed Safety – GDS – tools to the academic community of the Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeón Cañas" (UCA) of El Salvador. GDS tools establish those aspects to which attention should be posed in order to achieve excellence in safety. Also enables analysis to recognise the weaker aspects of safety, so corrective actions can be taken.Before applying any improvement action according GDS, the initial parameters to measure the culture of safety in UCA were established. Special versions of the AsSeVi Survey Tool were developed and checked out. The first one was adapted to academy and administration of UCA. The second, to students. Both communities showed similar characteristics according GDS, opening the door of improving the safety culture of students working only with academy. Finally, the JST Safety Survey and a traditional behavioural safety observation activity were used to establish reference indicators. Use a handrail in stairs and walking watching cell phone are two excellent potential possibilities to be used as indicators.     

Risk management and workers’ safety behavior control in coal mine

According to the risk management characteristics and the actual needs of safety production in coal mine, we thoroughly analyze the system of risk management method in coal mine and implement it in Geting Coal Mine. The system manages and controls the potential accident risks, hazard sources and human behavior risks. On this basis, the system of workers’ safety behavior control technology in coal mine is further studied, the “three disobeying” is classified and managed, the “three disobeying” database and safety countermeasures database are established, and the application software - the system of risk management and safety countermeasures optimization in coal mine based on B/S mode is developed and applied, which uses intranet to analyze and supervise the “three disobeying”, publish early-warning information, optimize management and control countermeasures; at the same time, the important prompting messages can be automatically sent to the mobile phones of relevant managers and the person in charge through public communication system in order to improve the real time capability and effectiveness of unsafe behavior control. The technological system and application software implemented in Geting Coal Mine has achieved good results.     

Time trends and predictive factors for safety perceptions among incoming South Australian university students

Problem

Young workers are over-represented in injury statistics. In order to develop injury prevention strategies, this study investigated time trends and predictive factors relating to safety skills, confidence, and attitudes.

Method

Annual surveys were conducted from 2006-2009 among incoming students at the University of Adelaide. The questions addressed safety training, injury experience, and health and safety perceptions.

Results

Time trends in training, perceived safety skills, confidence, and attitudes were not significant. In terms of skills and confidence, the most important correlate was safety training outside of high school (odds ratio = 1.6), especially when repeated, assessed, or in face to face mode. Feeling strongly about safety issues was best predicted by injury experience (OR = 1.7) and gender.

Discussion

These results emphasize the value of assessed training, but they are also consistent with published U.S. data, indicating no improvement over time. It is suggested that there be a more integrated approach in safety education, involving schools and workplaces.

Impact on industry

By developing an understanding of student safety perceptions and experiences, this research aims to target strategies to reduce the excess injury rate for young workers. Workplaces should be more aware of the limitations of school-based safety education and a more integrated and evidence-based approach should be developed, involving schools and workplaces.     

Mobile phone use while riding a motorcycle and crashes among university students

Objective: Motorcycle crashes are a significant road safety challenge, particularly in many low- and middle-income countries where motorcycles represent the vast majority of their vehicle fleet. Though risky riding behaviors, such as speeding and riding under the influence of alcohol, have been identified as important contributors to motorcycle crashes, little is understood about the effect of using a mobile phone while riding on motorcycle crash involvement. This article investigates crash involvement among motorcycle riders with risky riding behaviors, particularly using a mobile phone while riding.

Methods: Data were obtained from an online survey of university students’ risky riding behaviors in Vietnam administered between March and May 2016 (n?=?665).

Results: Results show that 40% of motorcycle riders reported to have experienced a crash/fall and nearly 24% of motorcycle riders indicated that they had been injured in a crash/fall. Effects of mobile phone use while riding on safety of motorcycle riders are highlighted. Specifically, more frequent use of a mobile phone for texting or searching for information while riding is associated with a higher chance of being involved in a crash/fall. The results also show that drink riding is associated with a higher chance of being injured.

Conclusions: Overall this article reveals significant safety issues of using a mobile phone while riding a motorcycle, providing valuable insight for designing education and publicity campaigns.     

Safety and associated parameters influencing performance of rail road grade crossings: A critical review of state of the art

Introduction: Railroad grade crossings (RRGCs) have emerged as critical transportation infrastructures from the point of safety and operational aspects because two modes of transportation intermingle at the intersecting zone; the understanding of safety and traffic operation at RRGC is of prime concern while planning and designing this transportation facility. Method: In this context, this work tries to comprehend RRGC performance-related parameters from published literature and figure out critical gaps. An international synthesis on the identified potential parameters influencing the RRGC performance (i.e., safety, driver behavior, and operational impact) was carried out by critically reviewing the articles published worldwide. Furthermore, key findings, used variables, analysis methods, research gaps, and recommendations were studied. Results: The review revealed that many researchers had explored the driver behavior and safety aspect based on past crash data and violations prevailing at RRGC. However, little research has been done to evaluate the effect of highways' operational characteristics on the performance of RRGC. Moreover, limited investigation has been carried out to understand the dilemma of drivers and the proactive safety evaluation of pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles at RRGC. A total of seven critical research gaps concerning parameters are recognized, facilitating a clear agenda for further research pertaining to RRGC performance.     

Driving violations and health promotion behaviors among undergraduate students: Self-report of on-road behavior

Introduction: The purposes of this study are to characterize Israeli undergraduate students' driving violations in the terms of problem behavior theory and to identify whether there is any relationship between driving violations and health risk behaviors, daring behaviors, excitement seeking, and health promotion behaviors.

Methods: This study is based on a structured self-reported anonymous questionnaire distributed to undergraduate students in an academic institution. The sample included 533 undergraduate students (374 females and 159 males). The mean age was 23.4 (SD = 1.4, range = 5).

Results: A higher prevalence of self-reported driving violations was found among males in comparison to females. All substance use measures were positively related to driving violations; for example, use of cigarettes (OR = 4.287, P <.001) and water pipes (odds ratio [OR] = 3.000, P <.001) as well as binge drinking (OR = 5.707, P <.001) and regular cannabis smoking (OR = 5.667, P <.001) raise the probability of committing rare driving violations. The strongest predictive factors for the frequent driving violations group were alcohol consumption–related variables: binge drinking (OR = 2.560, P <.01) and drunkenness (OR = 2.284, P <.05). Strong odd ratios were also found between the frequent driving violations group and selling or dealing drugs (12.143, P <.001), and stealing something valuable (13.680, P <.001). The strongest predicted variable for the rare driving violations group was physical confrontation due to verbal disagreement (3.439, P <.05) and the concept that selling or dealing drugs is socially acceptable (2.521, P <.05). The probability of executing rare driving violations was higher for subjects who reported intense physical workout regimens (OR = 1.638, P <.05).

Conclusions: Problem behavior theory succeeded in explaining health risk behavior and driving violations. This study shows that bachelors tend to be more involved in risk behaviors, such as substance use, excitement-seeking behaviors, and daring behaviors and are active physically and thus constitute a risk group for driving violations. As such, intervention resources should be directed toward this group.