The effect of workers' visibility on effectiveness of intervention programs: supervisory-based safety interventions.
BACKGROUND
This paper discusses an organizational change intervention program targeting safety behaviors and addresses important considerations concerning the planning of organizational change. Using layout of the plant as a proxy for ease of daily leader-member interaction, the effect of workers' visibility on the effectiveness of supervisory-based safety (SBS) interventions is examined. Through a reinforcement-learning framework, it is suggested that visibility can affect supervisors' incentive to interact with subordinates regarding safety-related issues.


METHODS
Data were collected during SBS intervention studies in five manufacturing companies.


RESULTS
Results suggest a reinforcement cycle model whereby increased visibility generates more frequent exchanges between supervisors and employees, resulting in improved safety behavior among employees. In turn, employees' safer behavior reinforces continued supervisory safety-related interaction. CONCLUSION AND IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Visibility is an important moderator in supervisory based safety interventions, and can serve to increase workplace safety. Implications of these findings for safety are discussed.
Luria
Gil
G
University of Haifa, Faculty of Social Welfare & Health Studies, Department of Human Services, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel. gluria@univ.haifa.ac.il
Zohar
Dov
D
Erev
Ido
I
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D016272:Occupational Health; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D017751:Safety Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017132:Workplace