How can psychology contribute to safety?

Abstract

Applications of psychological methodologies to the field of safety were reviewed, mainly focusing on studies conducted by the author and his colleagues. After citing the results of an experiment concerning pointing and calling (that is, gesturing and speaking) to prevent errors, the author reviewed a series of laboratory experiments on cell phone use while walking. The results showed that pedestrians became inattentive to auditory as well as visual targets in detection tasks when using a cell phone, especially when playing a game on a smartphone. Then, two experiments were introduced in an attempt to investigate the effects of safety systems on automobile driver behavior. Finally, the author discussed studies using both a questionnaire survey and psychometrics on workers’ safety behavior. Analyses using Structural Equation Modeling showed that occupational pride improved safety attitudes both directly and indirectly with mediations by both enhanced workmanship motivation and reduced schedule-first motivation. Moreover, occupational pride was found to be enhanced by organizational standards of practice, which also enhanced organizational commitment. These findings suggested the importance of the role of management beyond that of traditional safety measures. The author concluded by emphasizing the necessity for more psychologists to participate in safety research.