Many of our clients are challenged with motivating their employees to follow safety rules. Could the solution to their problem be to test all employees for their safety personality prior to hiring them? There are several companies who offer web-based personality assessments that employers can use to determine the safety orientation of current or prospective employees.
A recent study by a company called TalentClick, suggests that there is a stong correlation between five personality traits and safety accidents. TalentClick identified five core risk-related traits that can be used to assess whether employees are more prone to be safety oriented or or high-risk.
The Five Risk-Related Personality Traits
| Trait | Higher Risk Employees | Lower Risk Employees |
| Resistant |
Tend to disregard authority and rules. Resist feedback. |
Comply with rules Follow training and guidelines |
| Anxious |
Freeze or panic when faced with unexpected safety-sensitive situations Doubt their ability to respond to the threat |
Are confident Stay calm under pressure |
| Irritable | Tend to be easily annoyed, especially when under stress |
Are less irritable Are able to control emotions under stress |
| Distractible |
Seek stimulation Lose focus easily |
Less likely to become distracted Can stay focused and alert |
| Impulsive |
Seek excitement Take risks Underestimate consequences of their actions |
Are careful Evaluate their options before makeing decisions |
TalentClick's study suggests that you can improve your company's safety culture by selecting employees who are wired for safety. Hiring employees who are naturally inclined to care about safety should make it easier to create a safe environment and should lead to fewer injuries, increased productivity, and enhanced morale.
So what's your safety personality? Do you think implementing safety personality assessments at your company would lead to better safety outcomes? Please share your opinion in the comments below.
