How to support safe driving at work – Possible safety culture interventions Prof. Dr. Gudela Grote Departement Management, Technology, and Economics ETH Zürich
How to support safe driving at work –Possible safety culture interventions
Prof. Dr. Gudela GroteDepartement Management, Technology, and EconomicsETH Zürich
Gudela Grote Page2Overview
A general model for safe driving at work Characteristics of driver behavior Organizational factors influencing safe driving Supporting organizational and cultural
change
Gudela Grote Page3Safe driving at work – a general model
Personal factors•Capability•Age, gender•Sensation seeking•Physical and mental state
Organizational factors•Leadership•Safety management•Shared norms and values
Task factors•(Multiple) demands•Duration•Timing and time pressure
Environmental factors•Road and vehicle conditions•Other road users•Weather
Driver behavior•Vigilance•Control•Risk-taking•Errors
Driving effects•Performance•Traffic offences•Accidents•Incidents
Gudela Grote Page4Safe driving at work – a general model
Personal factors•Capability•Age, gender•Sensation seeking•Physical and mental state
Organizational factors•Leadership•Safety management•Shared norms and values
Task factors•(Multiple) demands•Duration•Timing and time pressure
Environmental factors•Road and vehicle conditions•Other road users•Weather
Driver behavior•Vigilance•Control•Risk-taking•Errors
Driving effects•Performance•Traffic offences•Accidents•Incidents
Gudela Grote Page5
Unrealistic optimism and illusion ofcontrol
People underestimate the likelihood of badoutcomes and overestimate the likelihood ofgood outcomes for themselves compared toothers.
This tendency is strengthened for outcomesperceived as controllable by the person.
Examples:- Newlyweds expect their marriage to last a lifetime, even while
aware of the divorce statistics.- Smokers believe they are less at risk of developing smoking-related
diseases than others who smoke.- Car drivers estimate their chances of an accident when driving
under the influence of alcohol as lower than for drunken driving ingeneral.
Gudela Grote Page6Risk perception in driving (Fuller, 2005)
Felt risk mirrors task difficulty. Task difficulty is determined by task demands
and individual capability. Estimated statistical risk and felt risk regarding
speed only coincide at higher speeds wheretask demands approach individual capability(= task difficulty is very high).
Gudela Grote Page7Risk as benefit: Risk seeking behavior
Risk seeking versus risk avoidance- Personality characteristic- Cultural norm- Affected by situational characteristics
• gain versus loss• personal control
Gudela Grote Page8Different types of driver errors
(Reason et al., 1990)
Lapse- e.g. attempt to drive away from traffic light in third
gear
Mistake- e.g. underestimate the speed of oncoming vehicle
when overtaking
Violation- Unintended: e.g. unknowingly speeding- Deliberate: e.g. get involved in races with other
drivers
Gudela Grote Page9Measures to avoid driver errors
Lapse Support vigilance
Mistake Increase training and experience
Violation- Unintended Support vigilance- Deliberate Change individual and collective
behavior norms
Gudela Grote Page10Safe driving at work – a general model
Personal factors•Capability•Age, gender•Sensation seeking•Physical and mental state
Organizational factors•Leadership•Safety management•Shared norms and values
Task factors•(Multiple) demands•Duration•Timing and time pressure
Environmental factors•Road and vehicle conditions•Other road users•Weather
Driver behavior•Vigilance•Control•Risk-taking•Errors
Driving effects•Performance•Traffic offences•Accidents•Incidents
Gudela Grote Page11Leadership to support safe driving
(Newman, Griffin & Mason, 2008)
High safety motivation of drivers is related to few self-reported crashes.
Drivers' safety motivation is related to their perceptionof managers' safety values.
Managers' perception of organizational safety valuesare related to drivers' perception of managers' safetyvalues.
Leadership at all levels of the organization influencesdrivers' safety motivation and behavior.
Safety interventions should address the organizational,work group, and individual level. (Newman & Watson, 2011)
Gudela Grote Page12General safety management
Safety Policy Risk identification and mitigation Safety resources and responsibilities Standards and procedures Training Safety performance monitoring Continuous improvement Management of change
Gudela Grote Page13
Example Standards and Procedures:Rules at Shell
Four out of twelve are driving related!
One basic rule about rules: Use fixed prescription only when it really holds in all situations
Gudela Grote Page14
Specific safety management measuresfor safe driving
Selection- avoid hiring young men- test for risk perception and risk seeking/avoidance
Handling fatigue- establish a not fit to drive rule- structure driving schedules to allow for sufficient breaks and
rest time- take into account commuting time when designing work
schedules more generally- train drivers to handle monotony while driving
Policy for mobile phone use- generally avoid phone use- if unavoidable only use when vehicle is stopped- if unavoidable during driving ensure proper technical systems
and training
Gudela Grote Page15Shared norms and values
Establishing shared norms and values thatsupport safe work processes and behaviors asdefined in the safety management system Establish a safety culture
Safety culture as part of organizational culture= shared basic beliefs and assumptions- safety versus production- trust versus control- role of people and technology
Culture often most visible as a source ofresistance to change
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Supporting organizational and culturalchange
Causes of resistance to change- Sense of loss of control- Sticking to old norms as part of existing culture
Strategies for dealing with resistance- Coercive: sanction change through use of power- Rational: inform about advantages of change- Normative: develop new values and norms =
culture change
Requirements for normative strategy- Participation to improve quality and acceptance
of decisions- Psychological safety
Gudela Grote Page17An easy start into cultural change ...
Having people answer questions like thefollowing reduces self-reported risky drivingseveral weeks later (Falk, 2010)
- Take over when the car in front slows down inadherence to speed limit
- Drive too close to car in front to get driver to move outof the way
- Drive fast to show others I can handle the car- It is OK to speed when traffic conditions allow- If you have good driving skills speeding is OK- Sometimes it is necessary to bend the rules to keep
traffic going- I often think about the possibility that I myself might get
hurt in traffic.- I could not live with myself if I hurt another human
being in traffic.