ABSTRACT

This chapter deals with the need to train people to work safely, comfortably and happily within their working environment. Training can address all the topics of interest in one session or a series of sessions can address parts of what an individual has to assimilate. Two important factors determine how persuasive a trainer can be when trying to communicate with a group about the need to change the way they work: the trainer’s credibility and “attractiveness”. People learn to change their behavior, such as changing their working posture, so that their employer achieves the desired outcome of risk reduction through positive reinforcement. People’s behavior usually produces outcomes and if those outcomes are pleasurable they will repeat that behavior. Therefore, if employees are rewarded in some way for changing their working behavior they will be more likely to maintain that change in behavior in the hope that they will be rewarded again.