Previous studies into workplace accidents have focused on several extents including cognition, causation, and statistics, but research has yet to systematically investigate the role that Behaviour Analysis (BA) could play in their prevention and
investigation.
For the purposes of this report the author sought to identify from the extant literature if the theoretical base and skillsets of behaviour analysis, and in particular Emotional Intelligence frameworks and Psychological Safety, might lead to safer working practices in high-risk work environments such as construction.
A comprehensive search of relevant studies was conducted via six databases (ProQuest, Science Direct, EBSCO, Wiley Online, APA Psycnet, Taylor & Francis).
The search included journal articles, book chapters, course materials, dissertations, and reference lists from admissible review articles.
Initial findings appear to show that free will in human-beings led to the failure of many existing safety control measures, and that current legislation and safety advice could be overly reliant on outdated theory.
Several studies have also shown a positive correlation between psychological safety in the workplace and the reduction of mistakes, leading to the research question, could behaviour analysis be implemented in the prevention and investigation of accidents’?
