"On The Right Foot": assessment of behavioural change among participants in short training courses

Status:

completed 10/2004

Aims:

The effect of the short training courses held during the "On The Right Foot" campaign upon the behaviour of the training participants was evaluated in a controlled study (systematic behavioural observation on an obstacle course). The study evaluated whether the knowledge had been transferred to everyday situations.

Activities/Methods:

Systematic behavioural observation was conducted comparing participants of the short training courses and untrained persons.

Results:

The present study found only limited evidence that the short training course influenced the actual day-to-day behaviour of the test persons. Observation of the individual stages of the "obstacle course" revealed no significant differences in behaviour between persons who had followed such a course of training and those who had not. When all stages were considered together, however, significant differences in behaviour were observed. The desired behaviour was more evident amongst the group of persons who had received training. The principle followed on the training course, i.e. that of encouraging participants to be proactive and of raising their awareness of unsatisfactory arrangements, was found to be only partly effective as reflected in the observed behaviour.

Further results relate to the test persons' familiarity with the activities and to their behaviour. A correlation between these factors could not be confirmed: whether or not an individual frequently climbs and descends stairs has little demonstrable influence upon the use (or not) of the hand rail, as does whether their vocational activity is primarily mental or physical in nature. Nor was a significant correlation observed between age and safety-conscious behaviour. The study provided only limited evidence that a brief training course alone is sufficient to influence the actual behaviour of individuals in the circumstances stated, since behaviour cannot be modified by information alone.

The brief training courses comparable in their scale and structure and conducted as part of annual safety training in companies were found to be beneficial supplements to more comprehensive measures, but not of themselves to have a decisive influence upon human behaviour. On the assumption that the random sample studied consisted solely of individuals vocationally active in the area of occupational health and safety, action is needed at this point in order to exploit the model role of these groups of individuals.

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