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| April 2006 | |||
In this issue
WelcomeWelcome to the April edition of LJM's newsletter. When Do Safety Trinkets Improve Behaviour?
Dr. Geller says it's in the rationale and the way it is deliveredBaseball caps, key chains, coffee mugs and pens are often used to promote personal safety and health. Do these safety trinkets work? Do they impact safety-related behaviour? Methods of delivering safety trinkets vary widely. For some companies, a low injury record calls for delivery of safety trinkets throughout a work force. Sometimes trinkets are given to individuals after a particular safety-related behaviour, such as completing a behavioural observation, removing a safety hazard, or reporting a near miss. In other situations, safety trinkets are not contingent on any safety-related outcome or behaviour, but are distributed to everyone as an awareness booster. Do Safety Trinkets Work?Viewpoints about the impact of safety trinkets vary from one extreme to the other. Most, if not all, behaviour-based safety practitioners advise against basing the delivery of safety rewards on injury-related outcomes. That approach can stifle the reporting and discussion of personal injuries, a critical process for injury prevention. I have always recommended that safety trinkets be behaviour-based, meaning they should be contingent on behaviours that contribute to injury prevention. A Rationale for Safety TrinketsI propose that the meaning or rationale underlying a safety trinket has the greatest impact on behaviour. What does the safety trinket mean to the individual? Does the trinket remind the person of a special safety-related lesson, behaviour, or commitment? Is the individual proud to wear the cap or use the coffee mug with a safety slogan? Does the safety trinket connect to a memorable event in the individual's life, thereby contributing to making safety personal? Answer: The story behind a safety trinket and its meaningfulness to the individual receiving and displaying the trinket determine the behavioural and attitudinal effects. Thus, the words and emotions linked to the delivery of a safety trinket are critical determinants of its impact. 
The LiveStrong WristbandMost of you are probably familiar with the yellow "LiveStrong" wristbands. They are developed and distributed by the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which uses the proceeds to support cancer prevention research and help people live with cancer. Because of my own trials and tribulations with cancer, I was particularly interested in the story behind the yellow wristbands. I immediately purchased 100 of these trinkets and distributed them to my university students. Each delivery was accompanied with an explanation of the special meaning of the yellow wristband. Most already knew of my bout with prostate cancer. Wearing the LiveStrong trinket reminds me of the life I took for granted before cancer, and of the need to continue with the kind of lifestyle that increases my chances of staying "cancer-free". When my wristband broke, I was quite disappointed because at the time, every bike store I called was out-of-stock. The yellow wristband I now wear was given to me by a friend and professional colleague. He said he could no longer wear this trinket, which I had given him earlier, because he started smoking cigarettes again after a nine-year hiatus. It was inconsistent for him to wear the yellow wristband while he continued this unhealthy behaviour. This latter part of my story reflects the greatest benefit of safety trinkets that are meaningful to those who display them. Behaviour inconsistent with the rationale behind a safety trinket can cause tension, thereby activating behaviour change. Of course, this tension is also alleviated when the individual chooses to stop displaying the safety trinket. In ConclusionThis article considered a quality of the safety trinket that may be more important than the timing of its delivery. Specifically, I suggest the meaning and the emotions linked to a safety trinket are most influential. In fact, the term "trinket" does not do justice to its potential impact. A more appropriate label is "safety memento", reflecting the special memory and mission linked to a safety keepsake. Bottom line: Make a safety memento personal and influential by linking it to an emotion-laden memory and a relevant injury-prevention behaviour. E. Scott Geller, Ph.D. Work Stress & Fatigue
Most active people will experience stress and fatigue at some time in their working life and the outcomes can be both positive and negative. However, as people are being asked to increase productivity and work longer hours, sleep loss and fatigue are becoming significant risks to safety and health. In the workplace, sudden change, additional job demands, poor shift design, job insecurity, bullying, technology change, poor communication, boring or repetitive jobs can all contribute to stress and fatigue. Outside work, medical conditions, medications, substance abuse, sleep deprivation, family problems or psychiatric Illness can complicate the picture. To add to the complexity, Individuals have significant differences in their inherent ability to cope with fatigue. There is an ongoing debate as to what level of fatigue is "normal" without causing health and safety problems. It is widely agreed that fatigue significantly increases the safety risks associated with critical jobs that require high attention levels, such as drivers and operators of heavy equipment. In 1997 the ACTU conducted a survey of stress in Australian workplace and found that the most stressful conditions at work, as reported by more than one in four people, were management issues. These included lack of communication and consultation, increased workload, organisational change or restructuring and job insecurity. People reported suffering from a range of symptoms. More than 60% reported headaches, fatigue, anger and sleeplessness. How do we begin to manage these issues? It is critical that managers and supervisors are trained and informed. They need to be able to identify fatigue early - before it has a negative effect on a person's awareness, attention and reactions and hopefully before these things lead to a serious safety incident. Safe & Sound Advice — Drive Safely, Part 2
Keep a safe driving distanceThe most common type of road crashes in Australia is 'nose to tail' incidents - where one vehicle drives up the back of another. A safe distance is at least three seconds between your car and the vehicle in front. If the other person stops suddenly, this will give you enough time to brake before you hit their vehicle. Are you sure you keep your distance? You can measure this by choosing an object by the side of the road and in the distance, such as a signpost. As the car ahead of you passes it, begin counting seconds until you pass the same point. If it's less then three seconds, you may want to back off a little. Don't use your mobile phoneThe use of mobile phones while driving, even using hands free kits, has been found to significantly decrease drivers' concentration and reaction times. The main problem is that, while using a phone, our attention is not sufficiently focussed on the task of driving. Talking on a phone is quite different to having a conversation with a passenger. Other people in your vehicle are be able to see the driving conditions, may spot hazards for you and will stop talking if you're in a difficult situation. Talking on the phone, the person on the other end is disconnected from the fact that you have to drive. This is particularly a problem when you're having a complicated or stressful conversation. Before making a trip, try setting your phone to silent, so you won't be tempted to make or answer calls. Have the right mindsetMost of all, driver safety requires us to have the right mindset; we need to believe that we can prevent all driving incidents. While we might drive within the law, this won't necessarily stop us having a crash, particularly if someone else on the road does something reckless or dangerous. While driving, constantly observe the behaviour of other vehicles on the road. Try to anticipate when other drivers might put you at risk. For example, if a car is speeding, changing lanes without indicating or the driver is distracted by their mobile phone, stay well clear. It doesn't matter who's in the "right" or "wrong" - if you're involved in a crash; it's going to cost you time and inconvenience, at the very least. The Safety Journey —The Lloyd-Jones Meakin
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When Do Safety Trinkets 
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