Sa-OR-S136-2 - The Influence of Historical Events in the U.S. and Europe on Safety Research and Practice

 
Occupational and organizational safety
Risk and safety management
Sa-OR-S136-2
The Influence of Historical Events in the U.S. and Europe on Safety Research and Practice
M. Burke^*, D. Hofmann ¹, D. Zohar ^2
1University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States, ²Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
                    
Content: Purpose: This presentation will highlight how historical events, legislation, and commissioned reports have shaped safety research and practice within Europe and the U.S. over the past two centuries.
Methodology: A select review will be organized around developments within four time periods: The Industrial Revolution, The Progressive Era, WWII and the Cold War, and the post-Cold War Era, and point to the pioneering contributions of applied psychologists and others to the promotion of worker and workplace safety.
Results: The shift from an early focus on the individual and basic worker protections to the present multi-level perspective where both individual (e.g., worker preparation and safety performance) and group/organization factors (e.g., leadership and safety culture/climate) are primary foci will be noted.
Research/Practice Implications and Originality: To enhance awareness of major lessons learned within an historical context, with an emphasis on why and how particular legislative developments and research contributions affect current safety practices across countries.