Niche Consulting conducted some safety research around
utilising psychological assessments to predict positive or negative safety attitudes in employees in NZ safety critical roles.
Some of this research was presented by Neisha Voot from Niche Consulting at the Industrial & Organisational Conference in Adelaide in 2007.
Our research outcomes are in line with international research in this area.
The International Safety Research findings include:
- Significant correlations between the negative safety behaviours and low Integrity Test scores
- Significant correlations between the negative safety behaviours and low Conscientiousness
- Significant correlations between the negative safety behaviours and low Agreeableness
- Significant correlations between the negative safety behaviours and low Emotional Stability
Read more about the research in this area...
Employ new recruits who are more likely to act safety:
Of the many strategies an organisation can utilise to reduce workplace incident, accidents and near misses – one of the easiest to implement is to ensure the organisation selects new personnel who are predisposed to displaying a safety conscious attitude to work.
The research in this area shows that the utilisation of well designed and robust assessment tools can predict safety outcomes. By carefully screening and selecting safety critical personnel who are likely to act safely an organisation should have strong utility gains in the area of workplace safety.
Niche Research Outcomes
Our research shows we can predict safety attitudes with assessment tools and this outcome proves transferability of the above international safety research findings to the NZ context.
We tested over 100 employees who were in safety critical roles, who completed both the a safety attitude survey and some psychometric assessments.
The safety survey content was designed to measure attitudes about organisational and social factors that explained why individuals engage in unsafe work practices (Mullen, 2004). Read more...
Integrity Test Results
International research has shown integrity tests are very good predictors of counterproductive work behaviours, including acting unsafely.
Niche Consulting's study found that employess with low integrity test scores were almost 3 TIMES more likely to have negative perceptions and attitudes about safety than those with High scores and almost 2 TIMES more likely than those with Average to High Scores.
Big 5 Personality Results
Conscientiousness
International research has shown those with high conscientiousness scores are less likely to act unsafely.
Niche Consulting's study found that employess with low conscientious scores were almost 3 TIMES more likely to have negative perceptions and attitudes about safety than those with High scores and almost 2 TIMES more likely than those with Average to High Scores.
Agreeableness
International research has shown those with high agreeableness scores are less likely to act unsafely.
Niche Consulting's study found that employess with low agreeableness test scores were almost 3 TIMES more likely to have negative perceptions and attitudes about safety than those with High scores and almost 2 TIMES more likely than those with Average to High Scores.
Emotional Stability
International research has shown those with high emotional stability scores are less likely to act unsafely.
Niche Consulting's study found that employess with low emotional stability scores were almost 3 TIMES more likely to have negative perceptions and attitudes about safety than those with High scores and almost 2 TIMES more likely than those with Average to High Scores.
