The modification of occupational safety behavior

Because human performance is implicated in many of the accidents and injuries that occur in the workplace, behavior modification has much to offer. Using examination and analyses of contingencies of reinforcement and punishment to diagnose current problem situations and plan change, effective behavioral practice also emphasizes validity of safety targets and support from within the organization. Baselines, consisting of repeated measures of targeted performances, serve as a standard against which treatment effects can be judged, and can be incorporated within an overall experimental design. Effectively arranged positive reinforcement, supported by clear antecedents (e.g., goals, instructions and so on) that cue probability that the response will be reinforced, is the preferred method of modification. In cases of unsafe behaviors especially resistant to change, one can combine reinforcement of preferred alternatives with punishment of the offensive act. Effective feedback blends reinforcement, stimulus control and punishment in an optimal mix. Complex skills, or resistant habits can be modified by breaking the safe performance into small parts and heavily reinforcing improvements in the previously incorrect components or by using chaining or shaping. Especially amenable to objective evaluation of its outcomes, due to its objectivity, rigor of measurement and experimental conventions, behavior modification has begun to demonstrate its value as a powerful tool for promoting safety and health in the workplace.