I'm wearing a mask, but are they?: Perceptions of Self-Other Differences in COVID-19 Health Behaviors

As information about COVID-19 safety behavior changed, people had to judge how likely others were to protect themselves through mask-wearing and vaccination seeking. In a large, campus-wide survey, we assessed whether University of Kansas students viewed others' protective behaviors as different from their own, how much students assumed others would share their beliefs and behaviors, and which individual differences were associated with those estimations. Participants in our survey (N = 1,704; 81.04% white, 64.08% female) evaluated how likely they and others were to wear masks on the University of Kansas campus, wear masks off-campus, and seek a vaccine. They also completed measures of political preference, numeracy, and preferences for risk in various contexts. We found that participants estimated that others would be less likely to engage in health safety behaviors than themselves, but that their estimations of others were widely shared. In addition, of all the individual differences we assessed, political preference displayed the most consistent associations across health behaviors. Not only was false uniqueness ubiquitous across different forms of COVID-19 safety behavior, it was indeed false - estimates of others' health behavior were lower than their actual rates. Understanding this relationship could allow for more accurate norm-setting and normalization of mask-wearing and vaccination.

Food safety knowledge, attitudes, and eating behavior in the advent of the global coronavirus pandemic

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships of food safety knowledge, attitude and eating behavior of consumers during national lockdowns in the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 157 respondents completed the online survey using a structured questionnaire worldwide. Overall, the respondents exhibited good attitude and good knowledge towards public health including food safety especially on the importance of social distancing, mask wearing, well-balanced diet, physical exercise and personal hygiene, such as hand washing during the pandemic lockdowns. A Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the relationships among food safety knowledge, attitude and behavior under the pandemic conditions. Results showed that attitude towards food safety under the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns positively affected the eating behavior of the respondents, which exhibited a high β (0.686) among the variables tested (p<0.05). Food safety knowledge was apparently not affected by the food safety behavior of the respondents.

THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR APPLICATION ON MOTORCYCLE RIDER SAFETY BEHAVIOR

<p>In Indonesia, the basis for implementing road safety consists of five pillars which are compiled in the General National Road Safety Plan (RUNK). One of the pillars proclaimed is the behavior of safe road users. This aims as an effort to reduce traffic accidents because road users are the biggest factor in road accidents related to user behavior. The cases of road traffic accidents in Indonesia are dominated by motorcyclists, especially Jakarta, which is one of the cities with a fairly high rate of motorcycle accidents. Because the behavior of road users is closely related to traffic accidents, and also motorcyclists are the users who are involved in the highest traffic accidents, this study explains the factors that determine the safety behavior of motorcyclists in Jakarta. The application of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is used as a basis for finding the factors that may determine the behavior of the motorcyclist. Furthermore, the research approach used in this study is quantitative with primary data in the form of a closed questionnaire instrument from 230 respondents who ride motorcycles in Jakarta. The data analysis technique used is the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach using the AMOS 22.00 program as a tool in determining the determinants of driver safety behavior. The results of the analysis show that the most dominant direct predictor in determining the safety behavior of motorcyclists in Jakarta is the intention to behave safely. While the indirect factor that determines is the attitude of the driver. The results of the analysis also show that the age of the driver has a significant influence on safety behavior.</p>

Impact of emotional intelligence on the stress and safety of construction workers' in Saudi Arabia

PurposeIn a country like Saudi Arabia, where the construction industry is witnessing an impressive growth in the post-oil era, it is important to examine the occupational health and safety behaviors of construction workers (CWs).Design/methodology/approachThe present study aims to investigate the impact of emotional intelligence (EI) on workers' stress and safety behaviors. Data were collected from CWs (n = 265) at a major construction site in the city of Jeddah. Two questionnaires comprising 25 and 32 questions were used to measure their EI and stress levels, respectively. Furthermore, structured interviews were conducted with the managers and supervisors to inquire about the safety behavior of their respective workers. Descriptive statistics, simple and companion regression were used for data analysis.FindingsThe findings indicate that EI plays an important role to enhance the safety behaviors of the CWs besides reducing their workplace stresses. Furthermore, workers' stress levels are found to negatively impact their safety behaviors, indicating that any reduction in occupational stress can reciprocally enhance their safety compliance. The findings are further discussed with the concerned stakeholders to recommend a seven-point therapeutic role of EI for the safety of CWs.Originality/valueResults of the study can be used by managers and supervisors of the Saudi construction industry to reduce workplace accidents and improve the productivity of their organizations.

Influence of Sociodemographic Factors on Construction Fieldworkers’ Safety Risk Assessments

Construction operations are hazardous, leading to thousands of accidents, injuries, and fatalities annually. Safety risk assessment (SRA) is a key component necessary to respond to hazards effectively. Individuals have different perceptions of the riskiness of construction hazards, and studies have shown that different sociodemographic factors among employees can alter their SRA skills. However, their role in the US construction industry has been understudied, and this analysis investigates this topic further. Following a detailed systematic review of the relevant literature, quantitative data were collected from 181 construction fieldworkers in the United States using images integrated into an interactive questionnaire survey. Responses on the severity and frequency of seven potential accident causes were captured and analyzed. Findings from the literature review revealed six key sociodemographic factors—age, education, training, gender, ethnicity, and work type—that could impact fieldworkers’ SRA. However, a quantitative analysis suggests that only education is a significant influence, and sociodemographic factors had a statistically significant impact on less than five percent of the assessments. Therefore, the present study proposes that future investigation within the SRA domain should complement sociodemographic factors with critical behavioral factors that are rarely discussed, such as cognitive biases, personality traits, and safety behavior. As a foundational study for safety researchers and practitioners, the results provide information on SRA that can help enhance the safety and workforce sustainability of construction companies with a diverse workforce.