2.3. Intervention Effectiveness Research
595O. Wirth, S.O. Sigurdsson / Journal of Safety Research 39 (2008) 589–598
The third category of proposed research encompasses various gaps
in research and knowledge pertaining to various organizational
factors that influence the overall effectiveness of behavioral interventions.
We organized the specific research questions by the various
organizational and methodological factors that likely influence the
implementation, maintenance, and evaluation of behavioral safety
interventions: (a) methodological issues, (b) safety culture and
climate, (c) integrative interventions, (d), sector-specific applications,
and (e) impact assessment. Examples of specific research questions
pertaining to intervention effectiveness are listed in Table 2.
2.3.1. Methodological Issues
Reliable demonstrations of intervention effectiveness begin with
scientifically sound methodology. Although the basic tenets and
underlying principles of behavioral safety approaches are wellsupported
by science (Sulzer-Azaroff & Austin, 2000), the application
of those basic principles must still be tested and verified in the real
world. Furthermore, if intervention effectiveness studies are intended
to support best-practice guidelines, then they must be held to rigorous
scientific standards.
There are several research designs that are well-suited for demonstrations
of behavioral safety effectiveness (Komaki & Goltz, 2001). For
instance, reversal and multiple baseline designs are characterized by
their reliance on establishing pre-intervention performance baselines
against which the effects of an intervention process can be assessed.
These within-subjects designs can be further improved by incorporating
traditional group designs to differentially target multiple work
groups or sites within the organization.
Unfortunately, field-intervention studies are challenging to design
and conduct. They often are plagued by scheduling or workorganization
conflicts, limited company resources, and other restrictions
imposed by labor or management. If challenges or limitations are
too difficult to overcome, then laboratory simulation studies may
provide an alternative means to study a process element. For example,
Johnston and Hayes (2005) provide a convincing case for the
feasibility of laboratory simulations to study various components of
the behavioral safety process. In their study, a computer simulation
work task was used to investigate how different incentives affected
the rate of at-risk behaviors and the reporting of those behaviors.
Other investigators have used laboratory-based preparations to
simulate occupational hazards and risks