The Psychology Of Manufacturing Safety

As you come across this article, the title may confuse you a bit. …”Psychology. What does that have to do with the Manufacturing workforce?”

First of all, what is Psychology? According to the Psychological Association, Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Most of us, if not all of use psychology in our everyday lives to build relationships, garner trust or change someone’s situational perspective.

In industry, we use psychological techniques to negotiate a price with vendors, promote a safe behaviors from an employee(s), attempt to gain favor to achieve favorable contracts with customers or use positive reinforcement to promote team building amongst employees.

If you are reading this article, you most likely deal with groups of people and individuals. The question is, ” How do we connect with a person’s mind to change their behavior?”

1. Create social norms.
   • Social norms focus on the number of people who are enacting a desired behavior, or subscribing to the desired mindset.
   • To promote safety make it the norm to use ergonomic techniques. Encourage employees to use those techniques at all times for their safety and health
2. Earn Trust.
   • Trust is the foundation of a positive and nourishing relationship!
   • For example if an employee brings forward a concern. “The floor is damaged and is a potential hazard.” Or an employee has requested a different type of tool to make the job easier (ergonomics) It is leaderships’ responsibility to provide follow up and ensure the issue is resolved.
3. Inclusivity
   • Involve employees in Safety Walkthroughs
   • Employees bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to allow for quicker identification of the hazards. Requesting their input will provide them with a sense of contribution and inclusivity.
   • Once employees have consistent involvement this can lead to employee’s taking initiative and ownership of their department or area.
4. Motivation
   • Learn about the people that work for you and with you. Learn what motivates them at work and at home; as most of us pay bills to provide for our families.
5. Reward and Coaching
   • It is important to provide consistent reward and consquence for actions especially in regards to safety.
   • Detailed compliments acknowledging someone’s work and persistence will make a lasting impression. It is encouraged to provide employees with company accessible rewards, gift cards, vouchers, or financial rewards.

In summary, Safety Psychology can help create job satisfaction by encouraging employees to be part of resolving an issue, thus providing an avenue for employee inclusivity. Safety work culture can be improved by rewarding employees and promoting good safety behaviors as well as having clear consequences for not following safety procedures.