By Robert Pater, SSA/MoveSMART Director
"Industrial Safety & Hygiene News" (July 1999)

Question: "How can old habits be broken if safety has never been a priority?"

Answer: "First off, if you're expecting workers to drop old ways and replace them with new ones, there should first be a commitment from management that is higher than in the past. Make sure executives understand that the process of changing habits is possible, doesn't happen overnight but is based on a continuous campaign. That people often change "five steps forward and four steps back." That a critical input is ongoing reminders and support for change. That people have to believe that things have changed (i.e., safety is truly more of a real priority) if you expect them to change also. On the worker level, it's important to understand the reasons all of us have old habits--they work people and have helped them get by at least somewhat successfully. They are usually a duplicated response to what the person saw--at least at one point--as a demanding situation. Start by letting people know that habits are not bad, but they may be dated and no longer useful. That times have changed within your organization and the world. We've all aged--methods that may have worked well when we were twenty years younger may not be as effective now. And we are continually discovering newer and better ways to handle tasks. It often helps to lead discussions and bring up models of people who have successfully changed personal habits in their lives. Then offer what they see as superior methods for replacing their habits. Charting change and providing feedback on success is critical, as is continuous attention over time. The bottom line: changing habits is not that difficult, if you can show people what they believe is a much better way."