Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
at.a.dis.advantage..The.task.exceeds.the.person's.capacity..A.job.may.also.become.
so.routine.that.it.is.done.by.habit..This.habit.may.be.so.strong.that.changes.in.the.
environment. that. require. a. different. response. are. not. recognized.. In. this. case,.
habit.has.impaired.the.mental.capacity.of.the.individual.to.attend.to.the.environ-
ment.. More. obvious. .examples. include. the. person. who. is. asked. to. lift. more. than.
could.possibly.be.handled,.or.the.person.who.comes.to.work.under.the.inluence.
of.drugs.or.alcohol.
These.impairments.of.physical.and.mental.capacities.have.the.potential.of.turn-
ing.hazardous.situations.into.a.disaster.for.the.individual.and.others..To.determine.if.
there.is.a.capacity.barrier,.the.question.is.asked:.“Did.the.task.exceed.the.capacity.of.
the.individual.performing.it?”
i
nCEntivE
One.of.the.most.powerful.means.of.strengthening,.maintaining,.and.changing.a.per-
son's.responses.is.the.use.of.incentives..Our.responses.result.in.rewards.and.punish-
ment,.which.can.create.barriers.to.human.performance..When.unsafe.performance.
has.been.rewarded.or.safe.performance.punished,.it.can.be.expected.that.inappro-
priate.performance.will.occur.in.the.future..If.cutting.corners.on.safety.in.order.to.
increase.short-term.production.is.rewarded,.the.frequency.of.cutting.corners.is.going.
to.increase..To.determine.if.incentives.have.created.a.barrier.to.human.performance,.
the.question.to.ask.is:.“Has.the.person.been.rewarded.for.doing.the.job.incorrectly.or.
punished.for.doing.it.correctly?”
An.example.of.an.incentive.barrier.is.a.worker.doing.piecework.gets.a.bonus.for.
the.number.of.parts.inished.over.quota..The.worker.knows.that.her.machine.is.due.
for.scheduled.maintenance.but.she.continues.to.operate.it.longer.than.recommended.
in.order.to.receive.more.bonus.money..The.supervisor.knows.what.is.going.on.but.
decides.not.to.intervene..The.worker.is.rewarded.for.unsafe.performance.resulting.
in.an.incentive.barrier.to.proper.performance..The.worker.is.reinforced.by.the.bonus.
money. because. misuse. of. equipment. allows. more. production.. Note. also. a. second.
thing:. The. supervisor. ignores. the. unsafe. behavior. and. therefore. does. not. provide.
direction.and.guidance..There.are.times.when.there.may.be.a.ine.line.between.deter-
mining.whether.the.barrier.is.misuse.of.incentive.or.lack.of.direction.or.guidance..
However,.the.knowledge.of.the.investigator.regarding.the.operation.of.the.industry.
should.help.make.those.determinations.
There.is.a.tendency,.when.discussing.incentives.in.industry,.to.think.in.terms.of.
the.industry's.or.the.company's.incentive.program..While.the.incentive.program.
is. important,. it. is. a. small. part. of. the. concept. being. presented.. The. major. con-
cerns.are.those.little.things.that.occur.or.fail.to.occur.after.the.person.responds..
While.the.opportunity.for.bonuses,.promotions,.jackets,.and.the.like.are.impor-
tant,.events.such.as.praise.from.one's.supervisor.or.co-workers,.or.treatment.from.
one's. work. crew,. are. powerful. determinants. of. behavior.. These. events,. which.
occur.in.normal,.everyday.interactions.at.the.worksite,.should.be.studied.to.see.if.
an.incentive.barrier.exists.
Example:.An.individual.wears.safety.glasses.while.the.rest.of.the.work.crew.does.
not..The.crew.may.poke.fun.at.the.person.until.he.or.she.stops.wearing.the.glasses..
