First Name:
Stacy
Last Name:
Bumgardner
Major Department:
Psychology
Thesis Director:
Tim Ludwig
Date of Thesis:
May 2009
The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates there were nearly 3.8 million occupational injuries in the United States in 2007. Half of those reported cases caused days away from work, job transfers or job restrictions to those affected. Occupational injuries can not only cause permanent disabilities for those affected, but they also cause direct and indirect costs for businesses. In 1992, an estimated $132.18 billion dollars was lost on medical expenses, loss of wages, costs of fringe benefits, as well as employer retraining and workplace disruption costs (Leith, Markowitz, Fahs, & Landrigan, 2000). Many researchers have evaluated behavioral approaches to increase occupational safety in food manufacturing plants (Komaki, Barwick, & Scott, 1978), hospital office settings (Sasson & Austin, 2005), and among delivery drivers (Ludwig & Geller, 2000; Ludwig, Biggs, Wagner, & Geller, 2001). A hallmark of behavior analysis is the use of task clarification and performance feedback as positive reinforcement (Alvero, Bucklin, & Austin, 2001; Komaki, Barwick, & Scott, 1978).