Establishment-level occupational safety analytics: Challenges and opportunities.

In occupational safety and health, big data and analytics show promise for the prediction and prevention of workplace injuries. Advances in computing power and analytical methods have allowed companies to reveal insights from the "big" data that previously would have gone undetected. Despite the promise, occupational safety has lagged behind other industries, such as supply chain management and healthcare, in terms of exploiting the potential of analytics and much of the data collected by organizations goes unanalyzed. The purpose of the present paper is to argue for the broader application of establishment-level safety analytics. This is accomplished by defining the terms, describing previous research, outlining the necessary components required, and describing knowledge gaps and future directions. The knowledge gaps and future directions for research in establishment-level analytics are categorized into readiness for analytics, analytics methods, technology integration, data culture, and impact of analytics.

A Behavioral Economic Analysis of Demand for Texting while Driving.

The overarching goal of the present study was to determine whether a behavioral economic framework of demand analysis is applicable to texting while driving. To this end, we developed a novel hypothetical task designed to quantify the intensity and elasticity of the demand for social interaction from texting while driving. This task involved a scenario in which participants receive a text message while driving, and they rated the likelihood of replying to a text message immediately versus waiting to reply until arriving at a destination when the amounts of a fine for texting while driving ranged from $1 to $300. To assess the construct validity of the task, the scenario presented two delays to a destination (15 min and 60 min). The demand for social interaction from texting was more intense (greater at the lowest amount of the fine) and less elastic (less sensitive to the increase in the amounts of the fine) for drivers who self-reported a higher frequency of texting while driving than for those who self-reported a lower frequency of texting while driving. Demand was also more intense and less elastic under the 60-min delay condition than under the 15-min condition. The results of this proof-of-concept study suggest that behavioral economic demand analyses are potentially useful for understanding and predicting texting while driving.

Executive function and dangerous driving behaviors in young drivers.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the behavioral and cognitive processes underlying dangerous driving behaviors. We used a survey to assess levels of executive function in college students. The sample consisted of 59 males and 77 females and their age ranged from 18 to 24. We stratified the students into two groups based on executive function scores and compared the extent to which each group engaged in four dangerous driving behaviors (texting while driving, driving without a seat belt, driving while intoxicated, and speeding) as well as how often they experienced three negative driving outcomes (crashes, pulled over, and ticketed). We also investigated how these driving behaviors and outcomes are correlated with subcategories of executive function. The results show that students with a low level of executive function were more likely to engage in dangerous driving behaviors and more likely to experience negative driving outcomes. The results also show that texting while driving, driving while intoxicated, and speeding were most strongly correlated with the executive function subcategory of Impulse Control, whereas driving without a seat belt was most strongly correlated with the executive function subcategory of Strategic Planning. These results suggest that different behavioral or cognitive processes are involved in different dangerous driving behaviors and different interventions may be needed to target each underlying process.

Factors Affecting Medical Residents' Decisions to Work After Call.

BACKGROUND: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) work-hour restrictions (WHRs) are intended to improve patient safety by reducing resident fatigue. Compliance with ACGME WHRs is not universal. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors that influence residents' decisions to take a postcall day (PCD) off according to ACGME WHRs. METHODS: Residents (N = 433) at one university were emailed a link to a survey in 2019. The survey included demographic details and a Discrete Choice Experiment examining influences on resident decisions to take a PCD off. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-five residents (40.4%) responded to the survey; 113 residents (26%) completed the survey. Positive feedback from attending physicians about taking PCDs off in the past had the greatest impact on respondents' decisions to take a PCD off, increasing the probability by 27.3%, followed by chief resident comments about the resident looking tired (16.6% increase), and having never heard their attendings comment about PCDs off as either positive or negative (13.9% increase). Factors that had the largest effect on decreasing the probability of taking a PCD were negative feedback about taking PCDs off (14.3% decrease), continuity of care concerns (10.8% decrease), and whether the resident was looking forward to an assignment (7.9% decrease). CONCLUSIONS: The most important influencer of residents' decisions to take a PCD off was related to feedback from their attending physicians, suggesting that compliance with WHRs can be improved by focusing on the residency program's safety culture.

Establishment-level safety analytics: a scoping review.

The use of data analytics has seen widespread application in fields such as medicine and supply chain management, but their application in occupational safety has only recently become more common. The purpose of this scoping review was to summarize studies that employed analytics within establishments to reveal insights about work-related injuries or fatalities. Over 300 articles were reviewed to survey the objectives, scope and methods used in this emerging field. We conclude that the promise of analytics for providing actionable insights to address occupational safety concerns is still in its infancy. Our review shows that most articles were focused on method development and validation, including studies that tested novel methods or compared the utility of multiple methods. Many of the studies cited various challenges in overcoming barriers caused by inadequate or inefficient technical infrastructures and unsupportive data cultures that threaten the accuracy and quality of insights revealed by the analytics.

A hierarchical cluster analysis of young drivers based on their perceived risk and frequency of texting while driving.

INTRODUCTION: The present study attempted to provide a proof-of-concept of usefulness of cluster analysis for identifying distinct and practically meaningful subgroups of drivers who differed in their perceived risk and frequency of texting while driving (TWD). METHOD: Using a hierarchical cluster analysis, which involves sequential steps in which individual cases are merged together one at a time based on their similarities, the study first attempted to identify distinct subgroups of drivers who differed in their perceived risk and frequency of TWD. To further evaluate the meaningfulness of the subgroups identified, the subgroups were compared in terms of levels of trait impulsivity and impulsive decision making for each gender. RESULTS: The study identified the following three distinct subgroups: (a) drivers who perceive TWD as risky but frequently engage in TWD; (b) drivers who perceive TWD as risky and infrequently engage in TWD; and (c) drivers who perceive TWD as not so risky and frequently engage in TWD. The subgroup of male, but not female, drivers who perceive TWD as risky but frequently engage in TWD showed significantly higher levels of trait impulsivity, but not impulsive decision making, than the other two subgroups. DISCUSSION: This is the first demonstration that drivers who frequently engage in TWD can be categorized into two distinct subgroups that differ in terms of the perceived risk of TWD. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: For drivers who perceived TWD as risky yet frequently engage in TWD, the present study suggests that different intervention strategies may be needed for each gender.

Motivating ergonomic computer workstation setup: sometimes training is not enough.

Musculoskeletal disorders lead to pain and suffering and result in high costs to industry. There is evidence to suggest that whereas conventional ergonomics training programs result in knowledge gains, they may not necessarily translate to changes in behavior. There were 11 participants in an ergonomics training program, and a subsample of participants received a motivational intervention in the form of incentives for correct workstation setup. Training did not yield any changes in ergonomics measures for any participant. Incentives resulted in marked and durable changes in targeted workstation measures. The data suggest that improving worker knowledge about ergonomically correct workstation setup does not necessarily lead to correct workstation setup, and that motivational interventions may be needed to achieve lasting behavior change.

An introduction to "discrete choice experiments" for behavior analysts.

In this paper, we introduce discrete choice experiments (DCEs) and provide foundational knowledge on the topic. DCEs are one of the most popular methods within econometrics to study the distribution of choices within a population. DCEs are particularly useful when studying the effects of categorical variables on choice. Procedurally, a DCE involves recruiting a large sample of individuals exposed to a set of choice arrays. The factors that are suspected to affect choice are varied systematically across the choice arrays. Most commonly, DCE data are analyzed with a multinomial logit statistical model with a goal of determining the relative utility of each relevant factor. We also discuss DCEs in comparison with behavioral choice models, such as those based on the matching law, and we show an example of a DCE to illustrate how a DCE can be used to understand choice with behavioral, social, and organizational factors.

Perceptions of Fatigue and Safety Climate Pertaining to Residency Duty-Hour Restrictions.

INTRODUCTION: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), which sets the standards for residency training, instituted work-hour restrictions in 2003. Our purpose was to assess residents' perceptions of fatigue and local safety climate specific to these duty-hour restrictions. METHODS:  All residents (N=433) at one university were emailed a link to a survey in 2019. The survey included demographic details, on-call descriptors, an 18-point climate survey (CS), and the 33-point Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire (CFQ). The CS was adapted from a commonly used safety climate scale and intended to measure the respondent's perceptions of their program's attitudes and practices around resident duty-hour compliance. A Pearson correlational analysis was used to determine if there were associations between the variables. RESULTS:  Mean CS score was 12.89 (95% confidence interval, CI 12.32-13.46, N=164, 48.5%). Respondents were most likely to disagree with "Residents are told when they are at risk of working beyond ACGME duty-hour restrictions," where 57 (34.7%) disagreed or strongly disagreed. Mean CFQ score was 16.02 (95% CI 14.87-17.17, N=113, 26.1%). As the CS score improved, CFQ scores decreased indicating an inverse relationship between duty-hour climate and fatigue (r=-0.328, p<0.05). Having a protected post-call day off, and having either the Program Director, Chief Resident, or Senior Resident decide that a resident takes a post-call day off were all associated with higher CS scores.  Conclusion: We found that the CS had good internal consistency and evidence of construct validity. An inverse relationship between CS score and fatigue suggests that the level of fatigue is higher among residents in programs where residents perceived that ACGME duty-hour compliance was less important.

Perceptions of Safety Climate and Fatigue Related to ACGME Residency Duty Hour Restrictions in Otolaryngology Residents.

OBJECTIVE: To compare otolaryngology residents' perceptions of safety climate with respect to duty hour compliance and self-perceived fatigue. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Forty-one otolaryngology residencies distributed across the United States. METHODS: A national sample of otolaryngology residents was surveyed electronically in 2019. The survey included demographic details, on-call descriptors, an 18-point Safety Climate Survey (SCS) modified to measure perceptions of program attitudes and practices around resident duty hour compliance, and the 33-point Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire (CFQ). RESULTS: Of 397 surveyed residents, 205 (51.6%) responded. The mean modified SCS score was 11.29 out of 18 (95% CI, 10.76-11.81). Respondents were most likely to disagree with "Residents are told when they are at risk of working beyond ACGME [Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education] duty hour restrictions," where 100 (48.8%) disagreed or strongly disagreed. The mean CFQ score was 15.99 of 33 (95% CI, 15.17-16.81). As the modified SCS score improved, CFQ scores decreased, indicating an inverse relationship between duty hour safety climate and fatigue. Having a protected postcall day off and having the program director, chief resident, or senior resident decide that a resident should take a postcall day off were all associated with higher modified SCS scores. CONCLUSION: Otolaryngology residents perceived a safety climate that is suboptimal with regard to duty hour restriction issues. Additionally, an inverse relationship between fatigue and modified SCS scores suggests that fatigue among residents may be lower in programs where residents perceive that ACGME duty hour compliance is more important.

Mitochondrial dysfunction and loss of Parkinson's disease-linked proteins contribute to neurotoxicity of manganese-containing welding fumes.

Welding generates complex metal aerosols, inhalation of which is linked to adverse health effects among welders. An important health concern of welding fume (WF) exposure is neurological dysfunction akin to Parkinson's disease (PD), thought to be mediated by manganese (Mn) in the fumes. Also, there is a proposition that welding might accelerate the onset of PD. Our recent findings link the presence of Mn in the WF with dopaminergic neurotoxicity seen in rats exposed to manual metal arc-hard surfacing (MMA-HS) or gas metal arc-mild steel (GMA-MS) fumes. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms further, we investigated the association of PD-linked (Park) genes and mitochondrial function in causing dopaminergic abnormality. Repeated instillations of the two fumes at doses that mimic ∼1 to 5 yr of worker exposure resulted in selective brain accumulation of Mn. This accumulation caused impairment of mitochondrial function and loss of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) protein, indicative of dopaminergic injury. A fascinating finding was the altered expression of Parkin (Park2), Uchl1 (Park5), and Dj1 (Park7) proteins in dopaminergic brain areas. A similar regimen of manganese chloride (MnCl(2)) also caused extensive loss of striatal TH, mitochondrial electron transport components, and Park proteins. As mutations in PARK genes have been linked to early-onset PD in humans, and because welding is implicated as a risk factor for parkinsonism, PARK genes might play a critical role in WF-mediated dopaminergic dysfunction. Whether these molecular alterations culminate in neurobehavioral and neuropathological deficits reminiscent of PD remains to be ascertained.

Texting while driving: A discrete choice experiment.

Texting while driving is one of the most dangerous types of distracted driving and contributes to a large number of transportation incidents and fatalities each year. Drivers text while driving despite being aware of the risks. Although some factors related to the decision to text while driving have been elucidated, more remains to be investigated in order to better predict and prevent texting while driving. To study decision making involved in reading a text message while driving, we conducted a discrete choice experiment with 345 adult participants recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Participants were presented with multiple choice sets, each involving two different scenarios, and asked to choose the scenario in which they would be more likely to text while driving. The attributes of the scenarios were the relationship to the text-message sender, the road conditions, and the importance of the message. The attributes varied systematically across the choice sets. Participants were more likely to read a text message while driving if the sender of the message was a significant other, the message was perceived to be very important, and the participant was driving on rural roads. Discrete choice experiments offer a promising approach to studying decision making in drivers and other populations because they allow for an analysis of multiple factors simultaneously and the trade-offs among different choices.

Two discrete choice experiments on laboratory safety decisions and practices.

INTRODUCTION: The path toward enhancing laboratory safety requires a thorough understanding of the factors that influence the safety-related decision making of laboratory personnel. METHOD: We developed and administered a web-based survey to assess safety-related decision making of laboratory personnel of a government research organization. The survey included two brief discrete choice experiments (DCEs) that allowed for quantitative analysis of specific factors that potentially influence safety-related decisions and practices associated with two different hypothetical laboratory safety scenarios. One scenario related to reporting a laboratory spill, and the other scenario involved changing protective gloves between laboratory rooms. The survey also included several brief self-report measures of attitude, perception, and behavior related to safety practices. RESULTS: Risk perception was the most influential factor in safety-related decision making in both scenarios. Potential negative consequences and effort associated with reporting an incident and the likelihood an incident was detected by others also affected reporting likelihood. Wearing gloves was also affected somewhat by perceived exposure risk, but not by other social or work-related factors included in the scenarios. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrated the promise of DCEs in quantifying the relative impact of several factors on safety-related choices of laboratory workers in two hypothetical but realistic scenarios. Participants were faced with hypothetical choice scenarios with realistic features instead of traditional scaling techniques that ask about attitudes and perceptions. The methods are suitable for addressing many occupational safety concerns in which workers face tradeoffs in their safety-related decisions and behavior. Practical Application: Safety-related decisions regarding laboratory practices such as incident reporting and use of PPE were influenced primarily by workers' perceptions of risk of exposure and severity of risks to health and safety. This finding suggests the importance of providing laboratory workers with adequate and effective education and training on the hazards and risks associated with their work. DCEs are a promising research method for better understanding the relative influences of various personal, social, and organizational factors that shape laboratory safety decisions and practices. The information gained from DCEs may lead to more targeted training materials and interventions.

Increased oxidant activity mediates vascular dysfunction in vibration injury.

Occupational exposure to hand-operated vibrating tools causes a spectrum of pathological changes in the vascular, neurological, and musculoskeletal systems described as the hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Experiments were performed to determine the effects of acute vibration on the function of digital arteries. Rats paws were exposed to a vibrating platform (4 h, 125 Hz, constant acceleration of 49 m/s(2) root mean squared), and digital artery function was assessed subsequently in vitro using a pressure myograph system. Constriction to phenylephrine or 5-hydroxytryptamine was reduced in digital arteries from vibrated paws. However, after endothelium denudation, constriction to the agonists was no longer impaired in vibrated arteries. Inhibition of nitric-oxide synthase (NOS) with N(omega)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) increased constriction to phenylephrine or 5-hydroxytryptamine in vibrated but not control arteries and abolished the vibration-induced depression in constrictor responses. However, nitric oxide (NO) activity, determined using the NO-sensitive probe 4-amino-5-methylamino-2', 7'-difluorofluorescein, was reduced in vibrated compared with control arteries. Endogenous levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), determined using the ROS-sensitive probe 5-(and 6)-chloromethyl-2',7'-dichlorodihydro-fluorescein, were increased in vibrated compared with control arteries. The increased ROS levels were abolished by L-NAME or by catalase, which degrades extracellular hydrogen peroxide. Catalase also increased constriction to phenylephrine or 5-hydroxytryptamine in vibrated but not control arteries and abolished the vibration-induced depression in constrictor responses. The results suggest that acute vibration causes vascular dysfunction in digital arteries by increasing ROS levels, which is probably mediated by uncoupling of endothelial NOS. Therefore, therapeutic strategies to inhibit ROS or augment NO activity may be beneficial in HAVS.

A cluster analysis of text message users based on their demand for text messaging: A behavioral economic approach.

The goal of this study was to determine whether cluster analysis could be used to identify distinct subgroups of text message users based on behavioral economic indices of demand for text messaging. Cluster analysis is an analytic technique that attempts to categorize cases based on similarities across selected variables. Participants completed a questionnaire about mobile phone usage and a hypothetical texting demand task in which they indicated their likelihood of paying an extra charge to continue to send text messages. A hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted on behavioral economic indices, such as demand intensity, demand elasticity, breakpoint, and the maximum expenditure. With the cluster analysis, we identified 3 subgroups of text message users. The groups were characterized by (a) high intensity and low elasticity, (b) high intensity and medium elasticity, and (c) low intensity and high elasticity. In a demonstration of convergent validity, there were statistically significant and conceptually meaningful differences across the subgroups in various measures of mobile phone use and text messaging. Cluster analysis is a useful tool for identifying and profiling distinct, practically meaningful groups based on behavioral indices and could provide a framework for targeting interventions more efficiently.

Social distance and texting while driving: A behavioral economic analysis of social discounting.

Objective: Texting while driving is a dangerous behavior. Drivers continue to engage in the behavior despite knowing its risks, and the factors responsible for the decision to text while driving are poorly understood. This study examined how the relationship of the sender to the driver, in addition to the delay to the destination, may affect the decision to text while driving with the use of a social- and delay-discounting paradigm. Methods: Ninety-four (N = 94) undergraduate students completed a hypothetical social- and delay-discounting task in which they rated their likelihood of replying to a text message immediately versus waiting to reply until arriving at a destination. The social distance of the sender and the delay to the destination were varied across trials. Results: For both social and delay discounting, the likelihood of replying and waiting, respectively, decreased as a function of social distance and delay to the destination. Participants were more likely to text while driving as the social distance of the sender decreased and the delay to the destination increased. Social discounting varied inversely as a function of delay to the destination: The shorter the delay to the destination, the greater the social discounting. Conclusion: The findings indicate that social distance of the sender is an important factor involved in the decision to text while driving. Participants were more likely to reply to a text while driving if the sender was less socially distant. When they were closer to their destination, they were less likely to reply to socially distant people than those closer to them. The roles that social consequences play in drivers' decision making to text while driving are discussed.

Threat appeals reduce impulsive decision making associated with texting while driving: A behavioral economic approach.

The primary purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of threat appeals in influencing impulsive decision making associated with texting while driving. The participants in the treatment group were exposed to a threatening message about the danger of texting while driving, whereas those in the control group were exposed to a non-threatening message. Following the exposure to either message, the participants completed a delay-discounting task that assessed the degree of impulsive decision making in a hypothetical texting-while-driving scenario. A comparison between the groups revealed that the threat appeals reduced the degree of impulsive decision making associated with texting while driving. In addition, the threat appeals led to greater anticipated regret from texting while driving, less favorable attitudes toward texting while driving, and decreased intentions to text while driving in the future in the treatment group. These results suggest that video-based threat appeals are promising intervention strategies for the public health challenge of texting while driving. Implications from the behavioral economic perspective are discussed.

When workplace safety depends on behavior change: topics for behavioral safety research.

INTRODUCTION: Comprehensive interventions that address public-health concerns invariably include behavior-change strategies. In occupational safety and health, behavioral safety is an approach designed to improve safety performance directly through peer observations of safe behaviors, goal setting, performance feedback, and celebrations or incentives for reaching safety goals. Although the basic components of behavioral safety processes have been studied and widely documented, the current safety literature reveals several gaps in knowledge. These gaps are associated mostly with wide practice variations among the common process elements and uncertainty about the influence of organizational and other external factors. IMPACT TO INDUSTRY: A major objective of this paper was to highlight not only key topic areas that warrant further research, but also to propose a list of research questions that are tied to uncertainties about various intervention practices. If only a portion of these topic areas and research questions are addressed through systematic reviews, field interventions, surveys, and laboratory-based studies, then the knowledge gained will significantly improve the delivery and effectiveness of behavioral safety interventions and thus their impact on worker health and safety.

The roles of delay and probability discounting in texting while driving: Toward the development of a translational scientific program.

A sample of 109 college students completed a survey to assess how frequently they send or read text messages while driving. In a novel discounting task with a hypothetical scenario in which participants receive a text message while driving, they rated the likelihood of replying to a text message immediately versus waiting to reply until arriving at a destination. The scenario presented several delays to a destination and probabilities of a motor vehicle crash. The likelihood of waiting to reply decreased as a function of both the delay until the destination and the probability of a motor vehicle crash. Self-reported higher frequencies of texting while driving were associated with greater rates of both delay and probability discounting. The degree of delay discounting was altered as a function of the probability of a motor vehicle crash and vice versa. These results suggest that both delay and probability discounting are important underlying mechanisms of drivers' decision to text while driving.

Dogs in the Workplace: A Review of the Benefits and Potential Challenges.

Pet dogs, therapy dogs, and service dogs can be seen in workplaces with increasing frequency. Although dogs may provide many benefits to employees and employers, their presence may introduce additional hazards and concerns to the work environment. Therefore, decisions to accept dogs in the workplace may include many considerations including the health, safety, and well-being of employees, legal and cultural sensitivities, and animal welfare. The present paper serves to introduce the issue of dogs in the workplace and outline the potential benefits and challenges to their presence. The legal accommodations afforded to certain types of dogs in workplace settings are discussed, and the research findings pertaining to the potential benefits of dogs on human health and well-being are summarized. The paper concludes with considerations for human resource management personnel in the areas of diversity, employee relations, ethics and corporate responsibility, organizational and employee development, safety and security, and legal considerations, as well as suggested topics for future research.