Behavioral Approaches to COVID
We are in a new reality. As I interact with clients and colleagues (via ZOOM) the reality is that all are challenged with preventing the outbreak of COVID within their workforce. As never before, a plant can be shut down in a day and hundreds of people can be sent to recover or quarantine resulting in human and economic costs. Safety pros are on the front line (ironically, in isolation) coming to the stark realization that all depends on the behavior of their workforce. This is not something that we can engineer away (until the medical biochemistry engineers create a vaccine).
As behavior science is called upon more than ever to address a crisis, I’ve reached out to my network of scientists, consultants, and friends to collect their lists of tips, pinpoints, and tactics to sharpen your behavioral approach to this new reality.
Dr Sigurður Óli Sigurðsson of the Commission on Behavioral Safety in the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies (CCBS) offers these behavioral tips.
Dr. Nicole Gravina (University of Florida) offers behavior science strategies for reducing the spread of COVID.
Dr. John Austin (Reaching Results) offers this webinar recording and blogs on behavioral science and COVID.
Dr. Cloyd Hyten (ADI) notes that we must build the behavioral safety systems to fight infection control in this blog article.
Dr. Judy Agnew (ADI) offers these tips focused on teenagers. Most also apply to your workforce’s approach to adapting to the new reality.
Dr. Angelica Grindle (Dekra) offers ideas for adapting your behavioral safety program during COVID in this feature article.
AIHA offers a number of guidelines across a number of industries at backtoworksafely.org
ASSP offers these return-to-work strategies.
And, of course, I’ve dropped a couple blogs on the topic:
Use the comments section below to share what innovative behavioral approaches your company is taking during the COVID outbreak. I’ll update with new information as you share it.