The Psychology of Safety Handbook

You cannot improve your organization's safety performance to enviable levels without addressing human behavior and attitude effectively. The only comprehensive reference on the psychology of the human dynamics of safety, The Psychology of Safety Handbook shows you how to apply psychology to improve safety and health in your organization. Dr. Geller provides theory, procedures, and tools to guide your organization's long-term continuous improvement. Based on Dr. Geller's bestselling The Psychology of Safety, this new and expanded Handbook gives you everything you need to decrease the frequency and severity of accidental injuries in your organization. He covers all areas of psychology directly relevant to understanding and influencing safety-related behaviors. Engineering interventions and government policy have made their mark on injury reduction. Now it is time to work with the human dynamics of injury prevention. The cause of most injuries can be attributed to at-risk behavior or insufficient safe behavior. The Psychology of Safety Handbook not only teaches principles and practical procedures for improving safety-related behaviors, but also illustrates how to increase people's willingness to use these techniques to create a Total Safety Culture. For more than three decades, Professor E. Scott Geller has taught and conducted research as a faculty member of Virginia Tech's Department of Psychology. In this capacity he has authored more than 250 research articles and over 50 books or chapters addressing the development and evaluation of behavior-change interventions to improve quality of life. He has authored seven books on managing behaviors and attitudes for occupational health and safety, including The Psychology of Safety and Working Safe. Dr. Geller is Senior Partner of Safety Performance Solutions, a leading training and consulting firm helping companies empower their employees to achieve a Total Safety Culture. He has been awarded Fellow status by the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the World Academy of Productivity and Quality. Moreover, Scott Geller has been honored with three university-wide teaching awards - every one offered by Virginia Tech.

Table of Contents:
ORIENTATION AND ALIGNMENT. Choosing the Right Approach. Starting with Theory. Paradigm Shifts for Total Safety. HUMAN BARRIERS TO SAFETY. The Complexity of People. Sensation, Perception, and Perceived Risk. Stress versus Distress. BEHAVIOR-BASED PSYCHOLOGY. Basic Principles. Defining Critical Behaviors. Behavioral Safety Analysis. BEHAVIOR-BASED INTERVENTION. Intervening with Activators. Intervening with Consequences. Intervening as a Behavior-Change Agent. Intervening with Supportive Conversation. ACTIVELY CARING FOR SAFETY. Understanding Actively Caring. The Person-Based Approach to Actively Caring. Increasing Actively Caring Behaviors. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER. Promoting High-Performance Teamwork. Evaluating for Continuous Improvement. Reviewing the Principles.

Review :
"This book is a must read for all safety professionals who desire to influence individuals and organizations for improving performance" -Samuel J. Gualardo, CSP, President, American Society of Safety Engineers "This is a book for people who want to get things done…for people who want to save lives. The approach works." -William A. Smith, Ph.D., Academy for Educational Development "…the most comprehensive and state-of-the-art review of what is an incredibly complex and often frustrating subject for safety professionals and managers alike." -Richard Lack, Safety and Protection Services, Cheyenne, Wyoming "This book is vintage Scott Geller - full of insight, practical examples, and genuine concern for protecting the safety and health of others." -Don Lisman, VP, Hoescht Fibers and Specialty Chemicals "Scott Geller knows more about the psychology of safety than anyone…[he] shows how to create a culture that values actively caring. It should be required reading for every safety professional, every manager, and every employee." -Terry E. McSween, Ph.D., President, Quality Safety Edge, Houston, Texas "Dr. Geller teaches us that safety is really in our own hands for ourselves and those around us." -Morris E. Chafetz, M.D., 1995 Inductee into the Health and Safety Hall of Fame International