2nd Edition

The Psychology of Safety Handbook

By E. Scott Geller Copyright 2001

    You cannot improve your organization's safety performance to enviable levels without addressing human behavior and attitude effectively. The only comprehensive reference on the psychology of the human dynamics of safety, The Psychology of Safety Handbook shows you how to apply psychology to improve safety and health in your organization. Dr. Geller provides theory, procedures, and tools to guide your organization's long-term continuous improvement.

    Based on Dr. Geller's bestselling The Psychology of Safety, this new and expanded Handbook gives you everything you need to decrease the frequency and severity of accidental injuries in your organization. He covers all areas of psychology directly relevant to understanding and influencing safety-related behaviors.

    Engineering interventions and government policy have made their mark on injury reduction. Now it is time to work with the human dynamics of injury prevention. The cause of most injuries can be attributed to at-risk behavior or insufficient safe behavior. The Psychology of Safety Handbook not only teaches principles and practical procedures for improving safety-related behaviors, but also illustrates how to increase people's willingness to use these techniques to create a Total Safety Culture.

    For more than three decades, Professor E. Scott Geller has taught and conducted research as a faculty member of Virginia Tech's Department of Psychology. In this capacity he has authored more than 250 research articles and over 50 books or chapters addressing the development and evaluation of behavior-change interventions to improve quality of life. He has authored seven books on managing behaviors and attitudes for occupational health and safety, including The Psychology of Safety and Working Safe.

    Dr. Geller is Senior Partner of Safety Performance Solutions, a leading training and consulting firm helping companies empower their employees to achieve a Total Safety Culture. He has been awarded Fellow status by the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the World Academy of Productivity and Quality. Moreover, Scott Geller has been honored with three university-wide teaching awards - every one offered by Virginia Tech.

    ORIENTATION AND ALIGNMENT
    Choosing the Right Approach
    Selecting the Best Approach
    The Fallacy of Relying on Common Sense
    Start with Behavior
    Starting with Theory
    The Mission Statement
    Theory as a Map
    Behavior-Based vs. Person-Based Approaches
    Paradigm Shifts for Total Safety
    The Old Three Es
    Three New Es
    Shifting Paradigms
    Enduring Values

    HUMAN BARRIERS TO SAFETY
    The Complexity of People
    Fighting Human Nature
    Cognitive Failures
    Interpersonal Factors
    Sensation, Perception, and Perceived Risk
    An Example of Selective Sensation or Perception
    Perceived Risk
    Risk Compensation
    Stress vs. Distress
    What is Stress?
    Identifying Stressors
    Coping with Stressors
    Attributional Bias

    BEHAVIOR-BASED PSYCHOLOGY
    Basic Principles
    Primacy of Behavior
    Direct Assessment and Evaluation
    Intervention by Managers and Peers
    Learning from Experience
    Defining Critical Behaviors
    The DO IT Process
    Defining Target Behaviors
    Observing Behavior
    Two Basic Approaches
    Behavioral Safety Analysis
    Reducing Behavioral Discrepancy
    Behavior-Based Safety Training
    Intervention and the Flow of Behavior Change

    BEHAVIOR-BASED INTERVENTION
    Intervening with Activators
    Principle #1: Specify Behavior
    Principle #2: Maintain Salience with Novelty
    Principle #3: Vary the Message
    Principle #4: Involve the Target Audience
    Principle #5: Activate Close to Response Opportunity
    Principle #6: Implicate Consequences
    Intervening with Consequences
    The Power of Consequences
    Managing Consequences for Safety
    "Dos" and "Don'ts" of Safety Rewards
    Intervening as a Behavior-Change Agent
    Selecting an Intervention Approach
    Intervening as a Safety Coach
    The Safety Coaching Process
    What Can a Safety Coach Achieve?
    Self Appraisal of Coaching Skills
    Intervening with Supportive Conversation
    The Power of Conversation
    The Art of Improving Conversation
    Conversation for Safety Management
    Recognizing Safety Achievement
    Receiving Recognition Well
    Quality Safety Celebrations
    Choosing the Best Management Conversation

    ACTIVELY CARING FOR SAFETY
    Understanding Actively Caring
    What is Actively Caring?
    The Psychology of Actively Caring
    Deciding to Actively Care
    A Consequence Analysis of Actively Caring
    The Power of Context
    The Person-Based Approach to Actively Caring
    Actively Caring From the Inside
    Measuring Actively Caring States
    Theoretical Support for the Actively Caring Model
    Research Support for the Actively Caring Model
    Actively Caring and Emotional Intelligence
    Increasing Actively Caring Behaviors
    Enhancing the Actively Caring Person States
    The Power of Choice
    Directly Increasing Actively Caring Behaviors
    The Reciprocity Principle
    Commitment and Consistency

    PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
    Promoting High-Performance Teamwork
    Paradigm Shifts for Teamwork
    When Teams Don't Work Well
    Cultivating High-Performance Teamwork
    The Developmental Stages of Teamwork
    Evaluating for Continuous Improvement
    Measuring the Right Stuff
    Developing a Comprehensive Evaluation Process
    Cooking Numbers for Evaluation
    Evaluating Costs and Benefits
    You Cannot Measure Everything
    Obtaining and Maintaining Involvement
    Starting the Process
    Cultivating Continuous Support
    Overcoming Resistance to Change
    Planning for Safety Generalization
    Building and Sustaining Momentum
    Reviewing the Principles
    The 50 Principles
    Subject Index
    Name Index

    Each chapter also includes In Conclusion and Reference sections.

    Biography

    Geller, E. Scott

    "This book is a must read for all safety professionals who desire to influence individuals and organizations for improving performance"
    -Samuel J. Gualardo, CSP, President, American Society of Safety Engineers

    "This is a book for people who want to get things done…for people who want to save lives. The approach works."
    -William A. Smith, Ph.D., Academy for Educational Development

    "…the most comprehensive and state-of-the-art review of what is an incredibly complex and often frustrating subject for safety professionals and managers alike."
    -Richard Lack, Safety and Protection Services, Cheyenne, Wyoming

    "This book is vintage Scott Geller - full of insight, practical examples, and genuine concern for protecting the safety and health of others."
    -Don Lisman, VP, Hoescht Fibers and Specialty Chemicals

    "Scott Geller knows more about the psychology of safety than anyone…[he] shows how to create a culture that values actively caring. It should be required reading for every safety professional, every manager, and every employee."
    -Terry E. McSween, Ph.D., President, Quality Safety Edge, Houston, Texas

    "Dr. Geller teaches us that safety is really in our own hands for ourselves and those around us."
    -Morris E. Chafetz, M.D., 1995 Inductee into the Health and Safety Hall of Fame International