Behavior-Based Safety and Working Alone

Experimental evaluations of Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) processes applied with lone workers are scarce. Clinical and organizational researchers alike have studied the effectiveness of self-monitoring as a performance improvement strategy, but further work is needed to determine the power of such interventions for improving safe behavior and Ryan Olson and John Austin are affiliated with Western Michigan University. Address correspondence to Ryan Olson, 3308 Miami Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49048 (E-mail: [email protected]). The authors would like to thank Adam VanAssche and Lisa Olson for implementing critical aspects of the intervention. They would also like to recognize Alicia Alvero and Scott Traynor for their helpful input regarding the design of the study. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, Vol. 21(3) 2001  2001 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved. 5 D ow nl oa de d by [ W es te rn M ic hi ga n U ni ve rs ity ] at 1 1: 35 1 0 Ja nu ar y 20 12 to explore the best practices for using such processes with lone workers. In the current study, four male bus operators (20.5 years average experience) self-monitored their safe performance and received feedback based on self-monitoring data. Dispatch supervisors used radio communication to prompt participants to complete self-monitoring forms and also conducted special observations of participants to measure target performances. Both operators and supervisors were unaware of experimental observers who measured the performance of each participant by riding on busses as passengers. A multiple baseline design across performances was used to assess the effects of the intervention on four performance targets. The intervention resulted in a 12.3% increase in safe performance for the group, with individual increases in performance ranging from 2% to 41% for specific target performances. The results are discussed in terms of the value of BBS processes for employees who work alone and the research needed to determine the components of self-monitoring processes that are most critical for generating improvements in safe performance. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: © 2001 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]