Leap of Faith Technologies was funded by NIH to develop a tool
that would provide organizations with a way to manage HAZCOM
data and administer safety training. We wanted to answer two
questions: • Could an Internet-based tool be developed
to do this? • Were there existing theoretical models
that could be applied to study the tool’s use in occupational
health?
The resulting product, called @ware, was developed as an Internet-based
program for hazard communication and safety training. Its development
was based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, which suggests
that an individual’s attitudes, subjective norms, and
perceived behavioral control determine an individual’s
intention to engage in a specific behavior.
We hypothesized that the program could have a positive effect
on attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral control because
it was self-paced, interactive, provided feedback, allowed flexible
scheduling, and was supported by management. Results showed
that subjective norms and perceived behavioral control are strong
determinants for intentions to use safety procedures and equipment.
Feedback from important others is also a reliable measure of
behavioral intention. The key source of safety information is
formal training.
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