ABSTRACT
Three studies were conducted to determine the effect of a role model's safety behavior on observers' safety behavior. In Studies 1 and 2, role models (confederates) used a cleaning product requiring them to wear safety gloves. Study 1 examined observers' safety behavior after they witnessed a friendly (unfriendly) role model's safety behavior in one of four conditions: 1) wearing rubber gloves, 2) not wearing rubber gloves and experiencing no chemical burn, 3) not wearing rubber gloves and experiencing a mild chemical burn, and 4) not wearing rubber gloves and experiencing a severe chemical burn. In Study 2, participants tested a cleaning product with a warning message (low hazard vs. high hazard) after observing a role model first test the cleaning product in one of the four conditions specified above. As predicted, in Studies 1 and 2, observers were influenced by the role model's safety behavior. However, the friendliness of the role model (Study 1) and level of hazard (Study 2) communicated in the warning message did not influence participants' safety behavior. Using an over-the-counter pain reliever, Study 3 tested the joint effects of: 1) the level of hazard communicated in the warning, 2) observers' outcome-relevant involvement, and 3) role model's compliance. Although the level of hazard communicated in the warning exerted no impact on observers' safety compliance, the role model's safety behavior and level of involvement jointly influenced observers' safety behavior. The implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed. Actual or potential applications of the research include, but are not limited to, using role models in warning messages and safety training programs to demonstrate the proper use of safety gear so as to enhance product users' compliance with safety recommendations.
Subject(s)
Behavior , Consumer Product Safety , Gloves, Protective , Role , Safety , Adult , Burns, Chemical/prevention & control , Drug Labeling , Female , Humans , Male , Multivariate AnalysisABSTRACT
To evaluate the examination of urine erythrocytes with a contrast phase microscope for the etiological diagnosis of haematuria (erythrocytes > 10/mm3 of non centrifuged urine) the charts of 84 patients with haematuria were reviewed. A nephrological origin had been established with certainty in 56 cases with a renal biopsy and an urological origin was also established with certainty in 28 cases thanks to appropriate radiological, endoscopical and pathological examinations. The morphological criteria of the erythrocytes deformation were those of Birch and Fairley but the quantitative criteria of these authors (either 80 or 100%) were found to be of no value. By successive approaches the threshold of 20% of deformed erythrocytes was selected and found to be the best criterion for diagnosing glomerular hematuria: the sensitivity of the test is then 73% and its specificity 60%. As these results were relatively modest, conditions which decrease the percentage of deformed erythrocytes were excluded to improve the sensitivity, such as macroscopic haematuria and also examinations made during the 6 hours following furosemide administration whereas conditions which increase the percentage of deformed erythrocytes and which are easily diagnosed such as urinary infections, lithiasis and renal insufficiency associated with an uropathy were excluded in order to improve the specificity. Then the examination has a sensitivity and a specificity of 90% which makes it clinically relevant, authorizing a wait and see attitude in case there is an isolated microscopic haematuria of glomerular type.
