The Development of an Interdisciplinary and Integrated Model of Occupational Safety

Background: Occupational safety and health professionals facilitate safer workplaces through the development and implementation of interventions. Empirically validated theories can enhance the likelihood that an intervention will be successful in achieving the desired outcome; however, occupational safety interventions are often devoid of theory or utilize frameworks that fail to take a comprehensive approach to conceptualizing occupational safety processes. Focus of the Article: The current paper seeks to address these gaps by proposing an interdisciplinary and integrated model of occupational safety (IIMOS). Importance to the Social Marketing Field: IIMOS takes an interdisciplinary approach, examining the combined influence of concepts from psychology, social marketing, and occupational safety on behavioral change. This model accounts for the influence that threat appraisal, coping appraisal, and customer service factors can have on safety behaviors’ initiation/adoption and maintenance. Recommendations for Research and Practice: IIMOS may inform the design, implementation, and evaluation of occupational safety and health programs. Although future empirical work must still test the model’s propositions, the model’s in-depth application of social marketing techniques is a novel addition to the field. This model can encourage practitioners to develop innovative products, build relationships with consumers, and design upstream efforts to support program adoption.

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Use of Health Communication and Social Marketing Principles in Planning Occupational Safety and Health Interventions

Social Marketing Quarterly ◽

10.1080/15245000802542061 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 45-70 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Virginia H. Sublet ◽

Max R. Lum

Keyword(s):

Health Communication ◽

Social Marketing ◽

Occupational Safety ◽

The United States ◽

Occupational Safety And Health ◽

Health Interventions ◽

Extensive Literature ◽

Safety And Health ◽

Marketing Principles ◽

The Impact

This study reviewed health communication and social marketing designs used in occupational safety and health interventions over the last 15 years in the United States. After an extensive literature review, 50 studies were identified that self-reported use of health communication and/or social marketing principles and practices to design occupational safety interventions. Nineteen of these studies were selected for analysis based on the following factors: the inclusion of a behavioral theory, strong study design, an intervention was conducted, and an evaluation was completed. Results indicated that all of the interventions met the criteria to be classified as a health communication intervention, but none met the complete criteria to be considered a true social marketing intervention. Limitations in the evaluation designs made it difficult to assess the impact of these interventions; however, results suggest that health communication principles have been applied widely, while social marketing techniques are poorly understood and underutilized in planning occupational safety programs.

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A Case Study in Applied Social Marketing: Developing an Occupational Safety and Health Product

Social Marketing Quarterly ◽

10.1080/15245000802487648 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 89-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Douglas F. Scott

Keyword(s):

Social Marketing ◽

Occupational Safety ◽

Software Tool ◽

Occupational Safety And Health ◽

Mine Safety ◽

Health Administration ◽

Hazardous Chemicals ◽

Safety And Health ◽

Business Customers

This case study provides an example of how social marketing was applied to meet the needs of business customers. Federal regulations require that all companies develop a written program to track hazardous chemicals at their sites. The HazComWriter, created by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), is a software tool designed to help companies prepare their required Hazard Communications (HazCom) written plan and list all hazardous chemicals at the company's worksite. The social marketing goal was to provide a product for small- to medium-sized companies to use for federal HazCom rule compliance. The HazComWriter is a direct NIOSH response to customer and stakeholder needs (including the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the mining community, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration-regulated companies).

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Correction to: “A Case Study in Applied Social Marketing: Developing an Occupational Safety and Health Product”

Social Marketing Quarterly ◽

10.1080/15245000902728867 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 111-111

Keyword(s):

Social Marketing ◽

Occupational Safety ◽

Occupational Safety And Health ◽

Health Product ◽

Safety And Health

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Use of Occupational Ethnography and Social Marketing Strategies to Develop a Safety Awareness Campaign for Coal Miners

Social Marketing Quarterly ◽

10.1080/15245000802546187 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 2-21 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Elaine T. Cullen ◽

Lori N. H. Matthews ◽

Theodore D. Teske

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

New Product Development ◽

Social Marketing ◽

Occupational Safety ◽

Underground Mining ◽

Occupational Safety And Health ◽

Worker Safety ◽

Coal Miners ◽

Safety And Health ◽

Safety Awareness

Underground mining, like many high-risk industries, is facing a crisis in the near future. This industry has traditionally relied on a master–apprentice relationship to train new workers, but experienced miners are retiring in large numbers, leaving few“masters” to properly train their replacements. With a recent resurgence in mining, many new miners are entering the workforce each day. The rise in the number of inexperienced workers has implications for worker safety in an industry in which one mistake can blow up the entire workplace. The explosion in the Darby Mine in May 2006 that killed five miners illustrates what can happen in hazardous environments such as underground mines. The Health Communications Team at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Spokane Research Laboratory was asked to address this problem by developing new training and safety awareness materials to promote safe flame cutting and welding practices. This article describes how occupational ethnographic techniques provided insights needed for“new product development.” The result of this work was a national initiative to raise awareness and to protect underground coal miners from the dangers of flame cutting and welding in an environment filled with solid fuel and methane (natural gas). Although this project was initially designed for the mining industry, the approach and lessons learned are applicable to any high-risk industry and should be of interest to other social marketing or occupational safety and health professionals.

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