Are You Priming?: Work Safely or Take Risks
Listen closely: Are the words and actions of supervisors and managers at odds with your company’s safety message?
Priming
Behavioral psychologists have proven that exposing people to a series of words with the same theme can have a significant influence on their subsequent actions. This initially was demonstrated through a series of classic priming experiments.
For example, in priming, ...words of aggression (bold, rude, bother, disturb, intrude, etc.). Another group was primed with words of respect (considerate, appreciate, patient, yield, courteous, etc.).
In one case, a supervisor, Jeff, we can see even more clearly that he was priming his employees to work at a fast pace, thus triggering their adaptive unconscious to think about working quickly. This means they will be more likely to take shortcuts, not wait for someone to help them, skip a step in a procedure, etc. Jeff’s crew was highly influenced by him to take unnecessary risks. Perhaps he did not intend this to be the outcome, but his choice of words set the stage for risk-taking.
The good news is that we can use this knowledge of priming to influence others in a positive way.
Positive Priming
Let's rewind the clock and imagine Jeff giving the pre-job briefing. This time, he has a very different message.
Instead of telling you it’s a critical path job, he reminds you to check out the entire area before you start the job and make sure you have everything you need to do the job safely. He tells you not to cut corners because it’s an important job and to take whatever time you need to do the job right. He tells you: “It's gonna be hot down there, so you guys need to take a break at least every hour. Take a cooler of drinks with you to stay hydrated. Work at a pace that makes sense.”
In this version, Jeff changed the message entirely. He was priming the crew to work deliberately and with increased situational awareness. And it was delivered in a caring tone. His choice of key words/phrases in this scenario include: safely, no cutting corners, take time, take breaks, stay hydrated, etc.
There are many influences on risk. Perhaps this crew would complete the job without incident, regardless of what they heard from their supervisor in a pre-job brief. However, employees who are constantly primed with words that encourage risk-taking likely will have a higher incident rate than those who are primed for risk awareness.
Choose your words thoughtfully when you are in a position of influence. They carry more weight than you may realize!
As a leader in your organization, do your part:
Ensure that everyone understands their role with regard to specific skills and general hazard recognition and control.
Provide sufficient training so employees know how to apply the safe work procedures to their specific work.
Motivate employees to take responsibility and be accountable for safety throughout the organization.
Each of these actions can mean that your workplace, shop or work site is one where it’s difficult to get hurt. Which means more people will go home to their families every day without injury.
