Psychological evaluations are commonly used in several organizations to evaluate personality, traits profile of candidates for a position and assessment of psychological aspects. The search for safety professionals and human resources to psychological evaluations has grown a lot lately. The purpose is to verify worker’s profile that shows a tendency to get into an accident during work. Due to this reason this article brings to the light the technical and ethical problems that involve the use of psychological tests in the work accidents prevention.
Psychological evaluation
Psychological evaluation is a controversial professional activity, questioning the scientific validity of the psychological tests and its standardization. The Federal council of Psychology determines that the tests should be evaluated according to specific parameters, with periodic revision of conditions, approaches and techniques used for evaluation. The council has, in fact, imposed norms orienting about the use of the psychological tests1.
The use of psychological tests are exclusive for psychologists as a work tool that may oriented them in their tasks. The tests have to be scientifically based and approved by the Federal council of Psychology. The use of tests in psychological evaluation, as a work tool, is to guide the professional to a safer and more adequate intervention, not only as a final assessment to define if someone has or not a tendency to cause an accident. Other techniques should also be utilized at the same time for a better analysis of the person being evaluated. It is highlighted as complementary tools, oriented interviews, observations, group dynamics, simulation tests and periodic evaluations.
The Human Factor as the cause of Work Accidents
Several accidents are commonly attributed to human failure or to the human factor represented by lack of attention, lack of care, lack of skill or because the person who suffered the accident was fooling around. Researchers on human behavior at work accidents, show that when negligence or lack of a worker´s attention take place there was, previously, a few decisions, attitudes, and organizational behaviors which created the a propitious environment for the accident to happen.
So, the accidents are not attributed to a single cause, but actually is a multicausal phenomenon, determined by factors that influence people, changing their attitude towards daily situations. To understand the causes of accidents is first necessary to understand the behavior of who suffers the accident, because this behavior is determined by the relationship between the man and the environment he is in, as well as by his internal traits. The cognitive aspect has its effect in the issue of a person´s safety when, for example, aspects demanded by the task are not taken into consideration by the person who will do the activity. He might not have all the information about the dangers, risks, procedures, and parameters involved in the task, so he can execute the activity in a more productive and safer way for himself and for his co-workers. Accidents are also due to factors as inadequate machines, and unfavorable environments.
Illnesses in the family and financial problems, obviously affect people´s behavior. There are three important implicit elements in the interaction man – work or man- environment that help us to understand the process of accidents: a variable action, a change in the environment or machine that does not attend to some specific criteria, and the judgment of the human action towards these criteria (Ilda, 2003 p.30). Lack of information about the environment, low perception of dangers and risks involved in the activity and the environment, omission of facts and of incidents, memory failure, evaluation error, lack of knowledge about a procedure, too much confidence, and a bad choice during the process lead to human mistake. The experience in several companies shows that many people involved in accidents knew the dangers and risks involved, and the correct procedures to be adopted during the task, but, for some reasons, chose to behave in an inadequate way.
The repertoire of people´s behaviors is determined by the choices they make and this is what is going to expose them to risks or not in their work environment. Some researchers argue that the work accidents are not associated with personality traits, so people cannot be evaluate to detect any kind of tendency to suffer work-related accidents. In her studies, Ilda (2003) attempts to demonstrate that there are people with high tendency to get involved in accidents. However, the most accepted theory nowadays is that these kind of people exists, in fact, but they do not have permanent characteristics that make them more susceptible to suffer work-related accidents.
Dela Coleta (1991) mentions the fact that a number of authors have defended opinions that highlight the importance of factors of personality traits in the occurrence of accident, but that has not been completely determined.
When someone´s personality is assessed, what is being evaluated is the dynamical organization of his biological, physical, psychological, social, mental and spiritual aspects in his interaction with the exterior. Considering that someone´s behavior may change depending on the situations he faces in his routine, psychological tests cannot detect all those aspects.
Preventing Work- related Accidents
The conditions that can favor a safer and more adequate behavior involve educational process in safety and health creating a safer and healthier environment to prevent accidents in the work environment.
Considering that the accidents are caused by a number of factors, described in this article, it is highlighted the importance of a preventive work involving all the factors which influence the occurrence of an accident. The preventive activities may involve modifications in the work environment, ranging from the maintenance and inspection of equipment and machines in a systematic way, to investment on adequate individual and collective protective equipment , to a better management of the safety system, climate, culture and workers quality of life.
A revision on the hiring process becomes necessary in order to select more adequate professional for the level and type of work to which his services are destined, as well as a good preparation of the worker when he starts in the company through attending specific and general training sections to enhance his education. Another contribution to minimize the risks of work -related accidents is being able to invest on people´s quality of life through campaigns, occupational activities involving the worker and his relatives for resolution and prevention in the social, psychological, medical and economic aspects.
The company management system is also something to be taken into consideration as influential. The way people are managed, their relationship with co-workers and leaderships, output versus safety, unhealthy spots.
Working on these points is important to improve the physical, social and organizational environment, looking for the worker´s personal and professional satisfaction and his work health.
Conclusion
The use of tests in psychological assessments should be used to guide the professional in his work and performance. The psychologist should have approval from the Federal Psychology Council through periodical revision of his standing, methods and techniques for a safer and more adequate performance.
The use of psychological tests to detected accidental profile is commonly required by safety and human resources professionals, however, there isn´t a linear and simple relationship between personality traits and work-related accidents.
Someone´s personality is determined by the relationship between him and the environment. It is possible to say that his behavior can be altered according to the situation he faces in his work routine and a psychological test cannot detect all these aspects.
The conditions that can favor a safer and more adequate behavior involve an educational process about safety and health, creating a safer and healthier environment to prevent accidents in the work. It must be identified all the variables in work related accidents involving behaviors in order to introduce correcting actions and avoid future consequences and repetitive actions. Improving the environment, the climate, the quality life, the procedures, the knowledge, the periodic follow-up, companies are offering good conditions, so the workers can execute their tasks with safety and still in a productive way, minimizing the occurrence of the work accidents.
1 This article brings the norms about psychological tests that the Federal council of Psychology in Brazil determines.
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