Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
6
MotivatingSafety
andHealth
IntroductIon
The.people.side.of.safety.and.health.is.little.different.from.the.people.side.related.
to.any.other.aspect.of.life..It.is.dificult.to.understand.the.values.and.attitudes.that.
workers.bring.with.them.to.the.workplace..Actually,.there.is.little.that.can.be.done.
regarding. the. values. and. attitudes. that. workers. bring. to. the. workplace.. We. can.
only. see. their. outward. behavior. regarding. safety.. Workers'. safety. performances.
should.be.observable.and.measurable..We.can.and.do.work.with.the.behaviors.that.
individuals.exhibit.
Once.we.are.able.to.obtain.safe.worker.performance.by.encouraging.a.change.in.
behaviors,.then,.little.by.little,.attitudes.toward.safety.will.begin.to.change..Eventu-
ally,.safe.work.performance.will.become.a.value.for.workers.
PlAnnIng the motIvAtIonAl APProAch
Just.like.any.other.endeavor.in.life,.if.we.do.not.plan.for.it,.we.are.seldom.successful.
in.accomplishing.what.we.want..Employers.trying.to.motivate.individuals.to.behave.
in.a.manner.that.facilitates.a.safe.and.healthy.work.environment.require.planning.and.
an.organized.approach..The.very.same.approaches.that.have.been.used.for.decades.to.
motivate.individuals.to.perform.can.be.applied.to.achieving.safe.work.performance.
All. employees. within. the. workplace. need. to. know. what. the. safety. and. health.
performance.expectations.are..Everyone.likes.to.have.a.clear.explanation.of.what.is.
expected.of.them..Employees.have.a.basic.need.to.be.involved.in.decisions.affect-
ing.themselves,.and.in.solving.safety.and.health.problems.within.their.workplace..
Research.has.shown.that.employee.involvement.is.critical.to.the.success.of.any.moti-
vation.approach.
Most.individuals.need.to.have.consequences.that.will.occur.if.they.fail.to.perform.
in.a.safe.and.healthy.manner..There.is.no.reason.to.comply.with.safety.and.health.
requirements. unless. failure. to. do. so. has. consequences.. Certainly,. workers. do. not.
want. to. become. injured. or. ill. from. something. within. their. workplace.. But. other.
factors.affect.the.value.of.safety.and.health.on.the.job..Workers.may.be.ired.if.they.
do.not.get.the.job.done.at.all.costs,.or.their.peer.group.may.bring.pressure.to.bear.if.
they.overlook.safety.requirements..In.either.case,.workers.must.decide.whether.the.
consequence.of.not.getting.the.job.done.or.the.consequence.of.peer.group.pressure.
is.more.negative.than.the.chore.of.abiding.by.safe.and.healthy.work.practices..The.
severity.of.the.consequences.and.the.follow-through.(enforcement).will.determine.
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