J.G.
Erisman
NIOSH Education and Information Division
More
attention is being focused on the agricultural industry because
of its accidental death, injury, and illness rate. Epidemiologists
point out that accidents and illnesses result from the unique
interaction of three variables -- people, agents, and environmental
constraints. Countermeasure programs are directed at changing
agents and environmental variables by engineering refinements
and reducing the susceptibility of workers by changing their
behavior. A disproportionate amount of the total effort is
being directed at behavioral modification.
Lessons
from the psychological field teach us it is impossible for
someone to impose their motives on another person. We can
influence the other's behavior only by operating within their
motivational structure. One of the biggest limitations of
success of safety and health programs is their lack of understanding
of the motivational structure of those people they are trying
to change. Safety and health professionals must develop empathy
for farmers, farm family members, and farm workers in order
to become more effective in their work. They must learn to
view things through the farmer's eyes.
Effective
communication involves three components -- a sender, a receiver,
and the medium through which the message passes. Common safety
and health messages will be examined from different perspectives.
Suggestions for improving message effectiveness will be provided.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This
research abstract was extracted from a portion of the proceedings
of "Agricultural Safety and Health: Detection, Prevention
and Intervention," a conference presented by the Ohio State
University and the Ohio Department of Health, sponsored by
the Centers for Disease Control/National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health.
J.G.
Erisman, Ph.D., C.S.P., Farmer and Safety Consultant, R.R.1
P.O. Box 287, Stanford, IL 61774.
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