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Risk Perception Among Nuclear Power Plant Personnel: A Survey
Abstract
This study investigated risk perception, well-being, and organizational commitment among nuclear power plant personnel. The study group, 428 employees from a nuclear power plant, completed a questionnaire which included the same questions as those in previous surveys on risk perception of lay persons and industrial workers. Hazards at work were not seen as a sizable problem by nuclear power plant personnel. The study group estimated the safety of nuclear power plants better and the possibility of serious nuclear accident as more unlikely than the general public. Compared to employees in other industrial companies, the overall perceived risks at work among plant personnel did not exceed the respective perceptions of the reference groups. Risk-related attitudes did not explain well-being among plant personnel, but the relationship between the perceived probability of a serious nuclear accident at work and organizational commitment yielded to a significant correlation: Those plant workers who estimated the likelihood of an accident higher were less committed to the organization.
... Employees' perceived characteristics of work and organization are generally considered to be the antecedents of organizational commitment [34,35]. Kivimaki and Kalimo (1993) [36] studied nuclear power plant workers and found that employees who estimated that accidents were more likely to happen had less organizational commitment. This study believes that employees with greater perception of occupational health risks tend to have less commitment to the organization. ...
... Employees' perceived characteristics of work and organization are generally considered to be the antecedents of organizational commitment [34,35]. Kivimaki and Kalimo (1993) [36] studied nuclear power plant workers and found that employees who estimated that accidents were more likely to happen had less organizational commitment. This study believes that employees with greater perception of occupational health risks tend to have less commitment to the organization. ...
... In the workplace, the less employees' perception of occupational health risks, the higher their commitment to the organization, and they will form higher job satisfaction. This conclusion further confirms the research of Kivimaki and Kalimo (1993) [36] and Peng et al. (2016) [6]. Through the research, they found that employees with greater awareness of occupational health risks have lower organizational commitment. ...
This study explored the relationship between occupational health risk perception and job satisfaction. Based on the job demand-resources model and resource conservation theory, eight hypotheses were proposed in this study. In a survey of 237 production line workers and managers, we found that perceived occupational health risks significantly negatively affected job satisfaction. Both work stress and organizational commitment mediate the relationships between perceived occupational health risks and job satisfaction. We also examined whether safety culture could weaken the negative impact of perceived occupational health risks on job satisfaction. However, the results of our study did not support this hypothesis. This study not only helped managers to realize the hazards of occupational health risks, but also encouraged employees to actively participate in safety construction and pay attention to their own health. In addition, we also put forward some targeted intervention measures to reduce the negative impact of perceived occupational health risks on job satisfaction. Therefore, this study had certain practical implications.
... However, perceptions of risk in the power sector have not been extensively studied from a rigorous, research perspective [9,10]. Three relevant papers that have examined the perceptions and behaviors of employees in the nuclear sector are [9 -11]. ...
... Kivimäki and Kalimo [10] examined risk perception of nuclear workers in comparison to workers in non-nuclear and power industries, as well as the relationship between risk attitudes and well-being / organizational commitment. The authors used a Likert based survey at a nuclear plant in Finland and found that perceptions of an accident were strongly related to organizational commitment and slightly related to job satisfaction. ...
... Kivimäki, Kalimo, and Salminen [11] extend the results in [10] in a second paper that examines safety perceptions and the relationship with organizational commitment (OC) and its components: OC-acceptance, OC-willingness, and OC-desire. OC-acceptance is traditionally defined as acceptance of the organization's goals and values; OCwillingness is the willingness to put forth effort on the organization's behalf; OC-desire is the desire to remain with the organization [11]. ...
With deregulation, utilities in the electric power sector face a much more urgent imperative to emphasize cost efficiencies as compared to the days of regulation. One major opportunity for cost savings is through reductions in spare parts inventory. Most utilities are used to carrying large volumes of expensive, relatively slow-moving units because of a high degree of risk-averseness. In this paper we discuss risk in the context of utilities, with a focus on nuclear power, and overview an ongoing research project that is aimed at incorporating risk and costs into a quantitative decision analysis framework for controlling spare parts inventories.
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/22701/
... Perceptions of risk in the power sector have not been extensively studied from a rigorous, research perspective (Sjöberg & Sjöberg, 1991;Kivimäki & Kalimo, 1993). Three relevant papers that have examined the perceptions and behaviors of employees in the nuclear sector are Sjöberg and Sjöberg (1991), Kivimäki and Kalimo (1993), and Kivimäki, Kalimo, and Salminen (1995). ...
... Perceptions of risk in the power sector have not been extensively studied from a rigorous, research perspective (Sjöberg & Sjöberg, 1991;Kivimäki & Kalimo, 1993). Three relevant papers that have examined the perceptions and behaviors of employees in the nuclear sector are Sjöberg and Sjöberg (1991), Kivimäki and Kalimo (1993), and Kivimäki, Kalimo, and Salminen (1995). Sjöberg and Sjöberg (1991) examined both risk attitudes and risk assessments in nuclear power workers and their connections to radiation and related risks. ...
... Adaptation of general job and accident risk graph(Sjöberg & Sjöberg, 1991) Kivimäki, Kalimo, and Salminen (1995) extend the results inKivimäki and Kalimo (1993) in a second paper that examines safety perceptions and the relationship with organizational commitment (OC) and its components: OC-acceptance, OC-willingness, and OCdesire. OC-acceptance is traditionally defined as acceptance of the organization's goals and values; OC-willingness is the willingness to put forth effort on the organization's behalf; OCdesire is the desire to remain with the organization(Kivimäki, Kalimo, & Salminen, 1995). ...
With deregulation, utilities in the power sector face a much more urgent
imperative to emphasize cost efficiencies as compared to the days of
regulation. One major opportunity for cost savings is through reductions
in spare parts inventories. Most utilities are accustomed to carrying
large volumes of expensive, relatively slow-moving parts because of a
high degree of risk-averseness. This attitude towards risk is rooted in
the days of regulation. Under regulation, companies recovered capital
inventory costs by incorporating them into the base rate charged to
their customers. In a deregulated environment, cost recovery is no
longer guaranteed. Companies must therefore reexamine their risk profile
and develop policies for spare parts inventory that are appropriate for
a competitive business environment. This research studies the spare
parts inventory management problem in the context of electric utilities,
with a focus on nuclear power. It addresses three issues related to this
problem: criticality, risk, and policy. With respect to criticality and
risk, a methodology is presented that incorporates the use of influence
diagrams and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). A new method is
developed for group aggregation in the AHP when Saaty and Vargas' (2007)
dispersion test fails and decision makers are unwilling or unable to
revise their judgments. With respect to policy, a quantitative model
that ranks the importance of keeping a part in inventory and recommends
a corresponding stocking policy through the use of numerical simulation
is developed. This methodology and its corresponding models will enable
utilities that have transitioned from a regulated to a deregulated
environment become more competitive in their operations while
maintaining safety and reliability standards. Furthermore, the
methodology developed is general enough so that other utility plants,
especially those in the nuclear sector, will be able to use this
approach. In addition to regulated utilities, other industries, such as
aerospace, and the military can also benefit from extensions to these
models, as risk profiles and subsequent policies can be adjusted to
align with the business environment in which each industry or company
operates.
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/8138/
... Respondents generally believe that target groups who are more remote in space (the public nearby) or more remote in space and time (future generations) are less likely to be affected by risks associated with nuclear power plants than those who currently work in such facilities (Lindell and Earle 1983). However, employees in nuclear power plants estimated the safety of nuclear power plants more favorably than did the general public (Greenberg and Truelove 2011;Kivimäki and Kalimo 1993). ...
... A few attempts have been made to explore the effect of perceived risk on organizational commitment and job satisfaction. In a study of employees' organizational commitment in nuclear power plants, Kivimäki and Kalimo (1993) found that riskrelated attitudes did not explain the well-being of plant personnel. However, the perceived probability of a serious nuclear accident at work and organizational commitment were significantly correlated; the plant workers who estimated a higher likelihood of an accident occurring were less committed to the organization than those estimating a lower likelihood. ...
Safety behavior and human errors are major concerns for nuclear power plant operators. The present study investigated how nuclear power plant operators’ perceived risk influences the quality of their own work performance in terms of safety behavior and errors. In total, 349 operators from two nuclear power plants in China participated in the present study. We found that perceived risk had a negative linear relationship with safety behavior and a quadratic relationship with errors. Leader support played a moderating role in the relationships between perceived risk, safety behavior, and errors. These results supported the job demands-resources model and provided further evidence for the relationship between perceived risk and outcomes related to safety behavior and errors. Our findings suggest that an effective way to address the issue of high perceived risk is to provide a supportive environment.
... On the other hand, Kivimaki and Kalimo conduct a survey in an organizational environment and show that workers who are more likely to have an accident are less committed to the organization. (21) The relation between productivity and risk is also discussed in the literature. In these works, more focus is given to the causal relationship whereby more pressure on productivity and production could turn attention away from risks. ...
... There are various researchers who discuss the importance of the effect of cultural factors on risk perception. (20)(21)(24)(25) Slimak and Dietz discuss how risk type is an important factor in shaping the risk perception and argue that the public is more concerned about risks that are of high consequence but low probability. (26) Furthermore, based on interviews, focus groups, and surveys, Visschers and her colleagues found that people relate to unknown risks through known ones (associated risks) in order to narrow their information and formulate their perceptions. ...
Increasing attention is being paid to reliability, safety, and security issues in social systems. Scott Sagan (2004) examined why more security forces (a redundancy solution) may produce less security (redundancy problems). In that paper, he discussed how the system could cause backfire in three major ways (i.e. "common mode error", "social shirking", and "overcompensation"). Using Sagan's hypotheses, I simulate and analyze a simplified and generic security system as more guards are added. Simulation results support two of the hypotheses, showing "common mode error" makes the system backfire, and "social shirking" creates inefficiency in the system as well as exacerbating the common mode error's effect. Simulation results show "overcompensation" has no effect on backfiring, but leads the system to a critical situation, in which it could easily be affected by "common mode error." The structure of the model and simulation results give some insights into developing appropriate security policies.
... The job demands-resource model (Bakker and Demerouti 2007) proposed that job demands, such as risk perception, may be detrimental to a variety of organizational outcomes. Previous studies focusing on nuclear power plant workers revealed that a greater perception of risk could lead not only to poorer safety behaviors (Rao et al. 2017), but also to lower organizational commitment (Kivimäki and Kalimo 1993). ...
At the site of nuclear accidents, firefighters situated near nuclear power plants (NPPs) assume responsibility for suppressing fires and rescuing workers from leaked radiation. Their timely responses to nuclear emergencies can prevent or minimize the catastrophic impacts of these accidents. Despite their important role in nuclear emergency management, little is known about the factors that influence firefighters’ nuclear emergency responses. We recruited 179 Korean firefighters (96% male) situated near NPPs. We examined whether and how knowledge regarding nuclear accidents and trust in the authorities operating nuclear power plants were related to firefighters’ risk perceptions of nuclear accidents to predict their preparedness and willingness to respond to nuclear emergencies. Our results indicate that trust moderated the effect of knowledge on the perceived risk of nuclear accidents, and that the perceived risk mediated the relationship between knowledge and firefighters’ preparedness and willingness to respond to nuclear emergencies. The results revealed a pattern of moderated mediation, in which perceived risk mediated the indirect effect of knowledge on preparedness and willingness when the firefighters’ trust was low, but not when it was high.
... Furthermore, proximity to the workplace may be more important, than considerations concerning the hazards. In a study regarding industrial facilities, the researchers found that staff may want to live near their workplace (industrial site) to diminish travel times (Kivimäki and Kalimo 1993), so they prefer to live near the hazardous area despite knowing about hazards and potential risks. ...
This research investigated households' perceptions concerning the effects of a natural hazard-triggered chemical accident (known as a Natech) on residential property values in Ichihara city, Japan, where a Natech accident occurred in 2011 following the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami. Furthermore, the household survey investigated households’ perceptions regarding the effect that the disclosure of risk information concerning potential chemical and Natech accidents on future property values. Data was collected through a stratified random survey of households within three kilometers of the Chiba industrial park in Ichihara City, Japan, where the Natech accident occurred. The household survey findings indicate that the respondents felt that the land price did not decline due to the Natech accident in 2011. However, they consider chemical and Natech accidents a threat to their lives and property. They are concerned that chemical accidents alone or triggered by natural hazards may happen again at the Chiba industrial park and about the potential for the accidents to decline property values in the future. The results also showed that respondents want the government to disclose chemical risk information, but they are also concerned that the disclosure will affect future property values. The study results have implications on Natech risk governance at the community and industry level. The survey results highlighted the need to develop risk communication strategies taking into consideration households concerns, and finding ways to counterbalance the negative effects that the disclosure of risk information may have.
... First, the analysis of survey data delivers insights on what kind of risks are considered relevant by most elites. Surveys have been repeatedly used to measure public risk perceptions (Kivimaki and Kalimo, 1993;Prata et al., 2006;Slovic et al., 1991Slovic et al., , 1989. Our survey was pre-tested and refined in an iterative process to ensure accuracy and validity. ...
Uneven access to low carbon finance and technology may give rise to energy transition frontrunners and laggards. This article offers a first conceptualization of the risks of an uneven energy transition and its implications for the international political economy and corroborates those with an empirical investigation of elite risk perceptions in the energy industry and finance sector. The multi-method approach combines descriptive survey data with a multinomial logistic regression testing for different expert risk perceptions between sectors, complemented by a set of qualitative interviews. The findings suggest that uneven transition patterns increase the risks of economic instability and decrease the competitiveness of ‘late decarbonizers’. Feedback cycles might impede the latter to catch up, with potentially severe consequences for global equity and international tensions. Countries particularly in the Global South are exposed to higher transition risks than technology-leading economies of the Global North. With this, the paper highlights the importance of relative timing for the implementation of energy transition policies.
... Third, we did not include variables such as job status or family members of the nuclear power station workers. The radiation risk perception among nuclear power station workers is different from that of the public (Kivimäki & Kalimo, 1993). Although the number of full-time Tokyo Electric Company employees at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini Nuclear Power Stations at the time of the disaster was about 1800 (Shigemura et al., 2014), the number of affiliated company employees and their families would be much larger. ...
In the aftermath of a nuclear disaster, a person's radiation risk perception can harm their sociopsychological health. Although there are reports of an association between radiation risk perception and relocation, the direction of this association has not been clarified yet. In this study, we used a random-intercept and cross lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) to investigate the association and its direction between radiation risk perception and the prefectural-level relocation (i.e., inside/outside of Fukushima Prefecture). We did this by using five waves of longitudinal surveys between 2011 fiscal year and 2015 fiscal year among the people affected by the Fukushima disaster in 2011. We included 90,567 participants aged ≥15 years during the time of the disaster who responded to the questionnaire at least once. RI-CLPM was applied to examine the reciprocal relationship between radiation risk perception and locations. We used two radiation risk perception indicators (i.e., genetic effect and delayed effect) and two handling methods on missing data (i.e., listwise deletion and full information maximum likelihood estimation) as sensitive analyses. The effects of radiation risk perception on relocation were found to be negligibly small. Living inside Fukushima Prefecture reduced radiation risk perception irrespective of the difference of indicators or methods, highlighting that radiation risk perception did not dominantly govern whether people were living inside Fukushima Prefecture, but that the locations also affected radiation risk perception. This was the first study to reveal the direction of the association between radiation risk perception and relocation in the aftermath of nuclear disasters.
... Sjöberg and Drottz-Sjöberg (1991) survey employees from Swedish nuclear power stations and find that workers hired by subcontractors report larger risk than other workers. Kivimäki and Kalimo (1993) survey 1000 employees in Finnish nuclear power stations and find that nuclear employees perceive the risk of nuclear accidents as less likely than the general population. 29 ...
The four chapters of this Ph.D. thesis follow two research axes.First, I develop theoretical and statistical tools for the measurement of nuclear safety, when rare occurrences of accidents preclude the measurement of objective probabilities of incurring harm. In particular, using recent results from decision theory, I develop a framework for the assessment of the expected social cost of major nuclear accidents that accounts for the attitude of individuals towards the uncertainties that characterize their likelihood of occurrence. Next, I provide an empirical analysis of the French nuclear safety based on a novel dataset containing all the significant safety events reported in the currently-operated French reactors. Despite their minor consequences, I show how valuable information regarding safety can be drawn from this data.In the second part of the thesis, I tackle the question of the implementation of safety regulations and disaster management strategies when risks are rare and catastrophic. I first focus on identifying the causal impact of an information-based incentive mechanism implemented in France on the levels of safety care and compliance exerted by nuclear plant managers. I then develop a cheap-talk model to analyse the coordination of disaster communication strategies with several preparedness and disaster response policies.
... Yet like other forms of RE development, bioelectricity can be a locally contested form of energy production. People associate diverse meanings with energy, landscape, and the use of land (Gieryn 2000;Kivimäki and Kalimo 1993), which shape how people attribute significance to or interpret the same new technology or its physical realities (Pinch and Bijker 1987). For example, for some people, a wind-turbine may appear as an acoustically discomforting monstrosity marring the community landscape (Pedersen and Waye 2004), whereas, to others, it might be a greenhouse gas emission-reducing artifact that benefits society and the environment (Warren et al. 2005). ...
Public support is critical to renewable energy sector growth, an important element of reducing fossil fuel dependence and mitigating climate change. Prevalent understandings of public support for renewable energy projects often work within a binary framework of acceptance and non-acceptance, arguably unable to capture the nuances of localized public responses to specific projects. Taking a place-based approach and insights from social representation theory, we report on public responses to wood-based electricity production in Wisconsin, USA. Findings indicate that public responses are tied to social and cultural contexts, varying in relation to community histories and identities shaped by other community resources. These results suggest that public perceptions of renewable energy technologies are shaped by representations formed in socio-spatial context, offering insight to inform future decisions in the renewable energy policy process.
... The reduction in employee turnover as a result of employment security can lead to lower numbers of inexperienced and less trained employees in the organization, which is related to increased involvement in safety-related incidents (Kincaid, 1996). Additionally, employment security can lead to increased trust in management (Pfeffer, 1998;Walton, 1985) and affective commitment (i.e., employee's emotional attachment to, identification with, and involvement in the organization; Meyer & Allen, 1991) (Barling, Weber & Kelloway, 1996) which is related to employee perceptions of a safe work environment (Kivimäki & Kalimo, 1993;Kivimäki, Kalimo & Salminen, 1995). Finally, it has been found that employment security is a distinguishing factor between low injury and high injury companies (Smith, Cohen, Cohen & Cleveland, 1978) possibly due to the long-term perspective encouraged by employment security (Zacharatos et al., 2005). ...
The oil and gas industry is a high risk environment. Despite advancements in technology and safety management practices, major disasters do occur and relatively minor safety related incidents occur fairly frequently. When managing safety, placing an emphasis on engineering technologies, the most proximal factor in the chain of events, or safety management practices themselves, in isolation from the complex interaction between technology, human factors and organizational structures, is insufficient and can be misleading. This paper addresses the development and integration of a high performance work systems (HPWS) approach with conventional engineering and management practices to improve safety in the offshore oil and gas industry. A safety-related HPWS approach emphasizes the role of integrating practical related engineering management and human resource management practices to produce positive outcomes and to promote a safe working environment. The integration of technical engineering practice with management systems will promote the development of an effective framework to improve workplace safety in the offshore oil and gas industry. Towards this, authors are developing an integrated approach of workplace safety management by linking predtive accident models with HPWS. This has the potential to reduce risk, enhance safety and provide a greater return on investment for this industry.
... This is in part due to how health risks are portrayed by mass media, which may misinform the general public through exaggeration of some sources and minimization of others; the technical language of radiation risk assessment also plays a role, especially given educational discrepancies in the population at large [7][8][9]11]. Indeed, perceived risk of nuclear power is strongly emotional and unlikely to be altered; the population generally perceives nuclear power as extremely risky and posing a much higher risk of exposure to the general public than in actuality [11,[13][14][15]. ...
Exposure to ionizing radiation has potential for acute and chronic health effects. Within the general public of the United States, there may be a discrepancy between perceived and actual health risks. In conjunction with the Vermont Department of Health, a survey designed to assess public perception and knowledge of ionizing radiation was administered at 6 Vermont locations . Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted. Eighty percent of respondents underestimated the contribution of medical imaging tests to total ionizing radiation exposure. Although only thirty-nine percent of participants were confident in their healthcare professional’s knowledge of ionizing radiation, most would prefer to receive information from their healthcare professional. Only one-third of individuals who received a medical imaging test in the past year were educated by their healthcare professional about the risks of these tests. Those who tested their home for radon were twice as likely to choose radon as the greatest ionizing radiation risk to self. Although respondents had an above-average education level, there were many misperceptions of actual risks of exposure to ionizing radiation, particularly of medical imaging tests. Educating healthcare professionals would therefore have a profound and positive impact on public understanding of ionizing radiation.
... Individuals who have more experience with nuclear power plants either by working at one or having one nearby their home are more likely to have lower risk perceptions than the general public about plant safety (Kivimaki & Kalimo, 1993;Lima, 2004;Taylor & Brown, 1988, Fischhoff et al., 1978. Sjoberg and Drottz-Sjoberg (1991) found that less-experienced power plant workers such as contract employees had more concerns about occupational safety than regular plant workers. ...
Social identity has become accepted as a key concept underpinning the endogeneity of economic behaviour and preferences. It is important in explaining attitudes towards redistribution and pro-social behaviour. We examine how economic theory measures social identity and its effects on preferences towards redistribution, social solidarity and redistributive institutions. Empirical evidence indicates that social identity carries weight in explaining the presence of social preferences and attitudes towards redistributive institutions.
... It is generally agreed in the literature that the experts (eg scientists, nuclear plant workers, emergency managers) and the public tend to perceive technological risks, and especially nuclear risk, differently (Litai et al, 1983;Barke and Jenkins-Smith, 1993;Kivimaki and Kalimo, 1993;Sjöberg and Drottz-Sjöberg, 1993;Slovic, 1995;Meyer, 1996;Lazo et al, 2000;Rundmo, 2001; but see Wright et al, 2000;Rowe and Wright, 2001;Lee et al, 2003, for another perspective on the issue). Experts tend to rate the dangerousness of different hazards on the basis of quantitative characteristics (Barke and Jenkins-Smith, 1993;Slovic, 1995;Talbott et al, 2000;, whereas the public in general react more strongly to hazards based on qualitative characteristics of the risks involved: new, unknown, dreaded, and potentially catastrophic hazards are most feared, regardless of quantitative assessments (eg morbidity, fatalities, expected deaths). ...
Nuclear emergency management procedures in the US do not explicitly address the issue of how people might react to a nuclear accident. This question was asked of a sample of residents in the Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ) of the Nine Mile Point nuclear power plant in New York State, using four scenarios designed in collaboration with local county emergency planners. The answers were then compared to the directives likely to be given by the planners. Results show that respondents would follow directives in 48 per cent to 92 per cent of the cases (63 per cent is the average), depending on the scenario used. Predictive factors include attitudes towards nuclear energy and opinions on social issues, while location in the EPZ and socio-demographic characteristics do not play a significant role. Other findings suggest unresolved issues in risk communication strategies and show widespread distrust of the role of the media in the event of an accident.
... Lack of accurate information, inadequate analysis of information, and unwillingness of many agencies to share information with other agencies are properties of working in such conditions (Sutcliffe 2005;Greve 2005;Bardach 2005). In addition, the existence of various and conflicting social pressures (Davis and Silver 2004), complexities of human behavior in high security conditions (Kivimaki and Kalimo 1993;Bazerman and Watkins 2005;Mayntz 2006), long delays between policy implementation and results, and adversaries' responses to the policies implemented lead to frequent shifts in security policies (Weaver and Richardson 2006). When discussions about public security are broadened to include recent literature on homeland security, the huge costs associated with attacks to high-risk facilities such as airports, harbors, and electric facilities that can result in a loss of use of critical urban infrastructures and human deaths add to the need for smart actions by the government (Gordon, Moore, Park, and Richardson 2007;Rosoff and von Winterfeldt 2007;Rose, Oladosu, and Liao 2007;Simonoff, Restrepo, and Zimmerman 2007). ...
A normative approach to security problems can give important insights into what the most proper security policies are for a given set of circumstances. Pinker (2007) proposes a framework for optimizing the short term policies of guard allocation and private and public warning issuance. In this paper we focus on the issuance of public and private warnings by extending Pinker's model to a dynamic setting. We propose a simulation model based on Signal Detection Theory that enables the determination of optimal private and public warning decisions. Through the extended model we show that optimal solutions are sensitive to two major assumptions: sensitivity to false alarms and terrorists' perceptions of public sensitivity. The results show that an underestimation of these effects can result in biases in optimal solutions.
... Costa-Font, Mossialos, and Rudisill 2009). In addition, earlier studies have found that engineers and other professionals tend to rate technological equipment as more unlikely risk sources than the general public (e.g. Kivimäki and Kalimo 1993). In this sense, we may argue that the traditional features continue to serve valuable factors in explaining many of the societal phenomena, such as risk perceptions of citizens. ...
It has been argued that many of the present-day societies are witnessing the emergence of new types of concerns alongside the more traditional sources of distress. However, little research has focused on the perception of these new types of risks. This paper examines the risk perceptions across adult population in Finland. We compare the average ratings of different types of risks and then examine how much socio-demographic disparities exist among these ratings. Our data are derived from a nationally representative mail survey collected in the fall of 2009. The survey gave a response rate of 49% (n = 1202). Our findings show that there are differences in the risk perceptions between different types of risks. Socio-demographic differences matter, as age, gender and place of residence in particular appear as significant determinants of risk perception. Further on, women and older respondents rate international and traditional risks as well as media and pornography as more of a concern compared to men and younger respondents. Although existing theoretical literature suggests there to be only minor differences in risk perception between population groups, this study seeks to better understand what sort of differences there really exists.
... Lack of accurate information , inadequate analysis of information, and unwillingness of many agencies to share information with other agencies are properties of working in such conditions (Sutcliffe 2005; Greve 2005; Bardach 2005). In addition, the existence of various and conflicting social pressures (Davis and Silver 2004), complexities of human behavior in high security conditions (Kivimaki and Kalimo 1993; Bazerman and Watkins 2005; Mayntz 2006), long delays between policy implementation and results, and adversaries' responses to the policies implemented lead to frequent shifts in security policies (Weaver and Richardson 2006). When discussions about public security are broadened to include recent literature on homeland security, the huge costs associated with attacks to high-risk facilities such as airports, harbors, and electric facilities that can result in a loss of use of critical urban infrastructures and human deaths add to the need for smart actions by the government (Gordon, Moore, Park, and Richardson 2007; Rosoff and von Winterfeldt 2007; Rose, Oladosu, and Liao 2007; Simonoff, Restrepo, and Zimmerman 2007). ...
Our daily life is full of various forms of security warnings. But do they have enough effect on people's behavior, and how can the government improve its domestic warning system? The purpose of this article is to develop a model to help examine the trade-offs inherent in issuing security warnings and identify optimal timing for warning issuance. We develop a formal dynamic model of security-based warning systems. Then we conduct several simulation-based analyses. We show that optimal policies for warning issuance are sensitive to two major behavioral characteristics of the society: how fast people might start ignoring warnings, and how adversaries perceive such ignorance. The results show that an underestimation of these effects can result in sub-optimal solutions and performance shortfall. In addition, methodologically, the article provides an example of how to use simulation techniques for theory development in public management and policy.
... Individuals who have more experience with nuclear power plants either by working at one or having one nearby their home are more likely to have lower risk perceptions than the general public about plant safety (Kivimaki & Kalimo, 1993;Lima, 2004;Taylor & Brown, 1988, Fischhoff et al., 1978. Sjoberg and Drottz-Sjoberg (1991) found that less-experienced power plant workers such as contract employees had more concerns about occupational safety than regular plant workers. ...
Attitudes toward the use of nuclear energy pose fundamental issues in the political debate about how to meet future energy needs. Development of new nuclear power facilities faces significant opposition both from knowledgeable individuals who display an understanding of the risks attached to various forms of power generation and those who follow strict politically based ideological dogmas. This article employs data from a 2005 Eurobarometer survey of UK citizens to examine the influence of both political preferences and knowledge in explaining support of nuclear power. Findings reveal that attitudes about nuclear power are highly politically motivated while the influence of knowledge about radioactive waste is dependent upon beliefs about the consequences of nuclear energy use. Perceptions of being informed about radioactive waste and trust in sources providing information about radioactive waste management also predict attitudes toward nuclear power generation.
... (9)(10)(11) Public attitudes have frequently been solicited about the siting and storage of chemical plants, nuclear facilities, and hazardous waste sites. (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17) In general, scientists view the risks from such facilities as less severe than does the general public. (18) Further, there is a negative correlation between perceived risks and perceived benefits, (19) suggesting that understanding the public's concerns or fears is not enough to change perceptions. ...
There is widespread agreement that stakeholders should be included in the problem-formulation phase of addressing environment problems and, more recently, there have been attempts to include stakeholders in other phases of environmental research. However, there are few studies that evaluate the effects of including stakeholders in all phases of research aimed at solving environmental problems. Three underground nuclear blasts were detonated on Amchitka Island from 1965 to 1971. Considerable controversy developed when the Department of Energy (DOE) decided to "close" Amchitka. Concerns were voiced by subsistence Aleuts living in the region, resource trustees, and the State of Alaska, among others. This article evaluates perceptions of residents of three Aleutian village before (2003) and after (2005) the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation's (CRESP) Amchitka Independent Science Assessment (AISA). The CRESP AISA provided technical information on radionuclide levels in biota to inform questions of seafood safety and food chain health. CRESP used the questions asked at public meetings in the Aleut communities of Atka, Nikolski, and Unalaska to evaluate attitudes and perceptions before and after the AISA. Major concerns before the AISA were credibility/trust of CRESP and the DOE, and information about biological methodology of the study. Following the AISA, people were most concerned about health effects and risk reduction, and trust issues with CRESP declined while those for the DOE remained stable. People's relative concerns about radionuclides declined, while their concerns about mercury (not addressed in the AISA) increased, and interest in ecological issues (population changes of local species) and the future (continued biomonitoring) increased from 2003 to 2005. These results suggest that questions posed at public meetings can be used to evaluate changes in attitudes and perceptions following environmental research, and the results are consistent with the hypothesis that the AISA answered questions about radionuclides, and lowered overall concern about radionuclides, but left unanswered concerns about the health effects of mercury.
... (23) Importance of risk perception has led to a wide range of research that explains how people perceive risks. There are various researchers who discuss the importance of the effect of cultural factors on risk perception.20212425 ) Slimak and Dietz discuss how risk type is an important factor in shaping the risk perception and argue that the public is more concerned about risks that are of high consequence but low probability. (26) Furthermore, based on interviews, focus groups, and surveys, Visschers and her colleagues found that people relate to unknown risks through known ones (associated risks) in order to narrow their information and formulate their perceptions. ...
Increasing attention is being paid to reliability, safety, and security issues in social systems. Scott Sagan examined why more security forces (a redundancy solution) may lead to less security. He discussed how such a solution can backfire due to three major issues (i.e., "common-mode error,"social shirking," and "overcompensation"). In this article, using Sagan's hypotheses, we simulate and analyze a simple and generic security system as more guards are added to the system. Simulation results support two of Sagan's hypotheses. More specifically, the results show that "common-mode error" causes the system to backfire, and "social shirking" leads to an inefficient system while exacerbating the common-mode error's effect. Simulation results show that "overcompensation" has no effect of backfiring, but it leads the system to a critical state in which it can easily be affected by the common-mode error. Furthermore, the simulation results make us question the importance of the initial power of adversaries (e.g., terrorists) as the results show that, for any exogenous level of adversary power, the system endogenously overcompensates to a level that makes the system more susceptible to being attacked.
... survey feedback and an intervention program (cf. Elo, Leppanen, Lindstrom & Ropponen, 1992;Kivimaki & Kalimo, 1993;Kivimaki, Kalimo, & Lindstrom, 1994;Kivimaki & Lindstrom, 1995). ...
Blue-collar workers (4,523 men and 927 women) participated in a survey comparing two alternative models, one assuming the level of self-esteem (SE) to result to a significant extent from the strain induced by occupational stressors and the other stating the level of SE as a determinant of stressor perception and experienced strain. The results of multiple regression analyses did not support the latter model, whereas the first model was partially supported: Monotony was associated with increased strain and decreased SE among younger (< or = 35 years) male participants and older (> 35 years) female participants, and lack of control related to increased strain and decreased SE among older male participants. These observations were made in the context of psychological strain symptoms but not in the context of physiological strain symptoms.
Previous studies suggest a significant correlation between risk perception and acceptance of nuclear power, but opinions of people with different perceived radiological risk seemed not captured. A national online survey was conducted to learn about the correlation between young Chinese people's beliefs about radiation and their opinions about nuclear power. Correlation between the proximity to a nuclear facility and beliefs about radiation is found. Gender and occupation are not revealed as statistically influential. In addition, the analyses suggest that respondents' perceptions of radiological risk are significantly associated with perception of and support for nuclear power. Even though most respondents supported inland nuclear power plants, fear of radiation is likely to result in a more serious NIMBY syndrome. Most respondents overstated the effect of low-dose radiation, worried about a negative impact of radioactive materials released from a nuclear power plant, and wanted to know more about radiation protection and emergency procedures. It implies that many nuclear issues were driven by fear of radiation, and perception of radiological risk appears a critical factor to mitigate worries and implement radiation protection and emergency procedures.
The perception of risk is to be understood as the ability to identify a source of danger as soon as possible. It is a personal process, so it is we who decide to face or avoid the risk situation in a subjective way. This process conditions actions, behaviors, assessments, choices about an entity or a potentially dangerous situation. The subjective perception of risk is not linear and is not directly proportional to the increase in the dangers; it is subject to influences and distortions and is linked to psychological, cultural and social aspects. Not always all aspects of a risky situation are perceived and this can lead to an overestimation or underestimation of the risk. I reported the main studies that analyzed the correlation between risk perception and some variables: Being employed or not, gender, socio-political factors, age, level of education, income level, training and perception of risk, health status, knowledge of risk, previous injuries, possibility of job control and perception of risk, work experience / seniority, attitude in the workplace, exposure to risk factors, tasks in the same workplace, adoption of adequate protective behaviors, job satisfaction- Thinking about safety from a technical and technological point of view is certainly very important but it is not a sufficient condition, behind every accident we have an individual who makes decisions for which it is fundamental, in order to address the issue of health and safety in a integrated, also consider the man variable in its entirety.
This essay examines the role that risk perception, risk attitude, and affective attachment of the worker with the company, respectively have, in determining the compliance with occupational safety standards. Looking at the empirical evidence that shows no evidence of the role of individual factors, such as risk perception and risk attitude, in determining the adherence to safety standards, we emphasize the important role of safety climate as the main agent. Within this framework, we insert an innovative element, that is, the degree of attachment of the worker to the company, which, in the presence of a positive safety climate, increases compliance with standards in a virtuous cycle. At the same time, however, we also underline the potential danger that the excessive identification or excessive attachment of the employee to the company can have negative effects by reducing not only the well-being but also the adherence to standards, as is the case with the self-employed workers who worry more about the costs than the benefits of adhering to safety standards.
This study analyzes data from telephone consultations made with a research institution during approximately one year following the March 11, 2011, Fukushima, Japan, Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Data was correlated with newspaper and online media coverage. During the analysis, many calls for consultation concerned aspects of daily life such as food, clothing, and housing and to radiation exposure during the accident. As the year of study went on, the proportion of consultation on daily life changed to more technical topics, such as dose measurement, scientific knowledge, natural radiation, and Russia’s Chernobyl accident. The topic of “children” raised the greatest number of consultations over the entire period; 20–40% of callers inquiring about soil, dose measurement and internal exposure asked also about children. Media reports on the topics consulted on were few except for those on dose measurement. The proportion of consultations on children and dose measurement may have been raised due to media reports circulating at about the same time. We concluded that it is important in postaccident risk communication that information related to daily living – especially protective measures that could be taken – and to effects on children be provided efficiently and at an appropriate timing.
This study was to examine the effect of trust, stigma, optimistic bias on risk perception of nuclear power plants. For this study, we carried out a survey targeting residents, total of 383, living in Seoul. The findings showed that trust of general public on nuclear power plants influenced negatively on stigma. Second, trust of general public on nuclear power plants influenced not significantly on optimistic bias. Third, stigma of general public on nuclear power plants influenced positively on risk perception. Fourth, optimistic bias of general public on nuclear power plants influenced negatively on risk perception.
Food safety and hygiene is of critical importance to us all, yet, as periodic food crises in various countries each year show we are all dependent on others in business and public regulation to ensure that the food we consume in the retailing and hospitality sectors is safe. Bridget Hutter considers the understandings of risk and regulation held by those in business and considers the compliance pressures on managers and owners, and how these relate to understandings of risk and uncertainty.
Using data from an in-depth case study of the food retail and catering sectors in the UK, the research investigates how business risk management practices are influenced by external pressures such as state regulation, consumers, insurance and the media and by pressures within business. The argument of the book is that food businesses in the UK are generally motivated to manage risk. They realize that good risk management aligns with good business practice. However, there are challenges for an industry that is highly segmented in terms of risk management capacity. The findings have implications for contemporary risk regulation in the increasing number of countries that rely on self-regulation.
Governmental agencies, Tribal Nations, scientists, managers, and the public are interested in assessing the health of ecosystems and their component parts, including humans. Assessing and monitoring human and ecosystem health requires the use of a suite of bioindicators that are biologically, methodologically, and societally relevant, and can be used effectively over time to assess trends and provide early warning. Often the latter consideration is ignored, or at best assumed. This paper examines the role of stakeholders in indicator selection specifically, and suggests that societal relevance should include participation and collaboration with a full range of Tribal Nations and stakeholders, as well as federal and state agencies. The inclusion of a full range of Tribal Nations and stakeholders can result in the development of bioindicators useful for ecosystem health assessment, human effects and interventions, human health assessment, evaluating the efficacy of remediation, and evaluating sustainability. In this paper a categorization of stakeholder involvement in indicator selection is presented, along with examples of the range of Tribal Nation and stakeholder involvement in the selection of bioindicators to highlight the importance of inclusion in information transfer, resolving conflicts, and developing a path forward for resolving contentious issues. The categories of Tribal Nations and stakeholder inclusion in bioindicator development and selection include informational (information provided to stakeholders), intragovernmental (collaboration among agencies), intragovernmental with inclusion of outside scientists, stakeholder involvement (stakeholders participate in some aspects), stakeholder-driven (stakeholders either identify the problem or influence strongly its definition), and stakeholder collaboration (where stakeholders make key contributions and participate in several phases of indicator development and selection). Examples are provided to illustrate each type, and the conclusion is drawn that increased involvement of stakeholders increases public support and acceptance of bioindicators used in long-term monitoring plans.
This article discusses a framework and tools for evaluating ecological resources and the effects of cleanup on hazardous waste sites, particularly those with ecological buffer lands. Environmental professionals are faced with assessing the risks of contamination to humans and ecological receptors (organisms and ecosystems) at hazardous waste sites. While exposure assessment has focused largely on human receptors, environmental managers have recently taken a broader view, recognizing the intrinsic value and aesthetic importance of ecological resources and services, and of including a range of stakeholders in remediation decisions. The assessment process involves understanding exposure pathways from source to receptor, and determining how best to interdict these pathways. Environmental characterization and exposure assessment, indicator and biomarker identification, and biomonitoring and surveillance are the major components of ecological assessments. Using the Department of Energy as a case study, this article offers a framework for ecological exposure assessment, recognizing that humans are important components of ecosystems and, like other biota, are exposed to contaminants that move through environmental media. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This study examined to what extent nuclear risk perceptions, organizational commitment (OC), and appraisals of management are associated with each other among nuclear power plant personnel. The sample consisted of 428 nuclear power plant workers who completed a questionnaire at their workplace. Perceived nuclear risk and OC were most closely related to the appraisals of the top management of the organization. As the trust in and satisfaction with the top management increased, perceived nuclear safety and acceptance of the organizational goals and values heightened. This result is discussed in the context of industrial safety management.
Although considerable attention is devoted to environmental monitoring and assessment with respect to both pollutants and the status of particular plant or animal populations, less attention is devoted to assessing people's attitudes about the relative importance of ecological resources. In this paper we examine the attitudes and perceptions about ecological resources of people living around the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS), in South Carolina. Our overall hypothesis is that people who are directly affected by the possible outcomes and consequences of a particular hazard (i.e., those people employed at SRS) will undervalue the risks and overvalue the potential benefits from future land uses that favor continued site activity, compared to people who live near but are not employed at SRS. We interviewed 286 people attending the Aiken Trials horse show on 14 March 1997. There were few gender differences, although men hunted and fished more than women, women ranked three environmental concerns as more severe than did men, and women were more concerned about the effect of SRS on property values. Maintenance of SRS as a National Environmental Research Park ranked first as a future land use; nuclear production ranked second, followed by hunting and hiking. Only residential development ranked very low as a future land use. There were many differences as a function of employment history at SRS: 1) people who work at SRS think that the federal government should spend funds to clean up all nuclear facilities, and they think less money should be spent on other environmental problems than did non-employees, 2) people who work at SRS ranked continued current uses of SRS higher than did people who never worked at SRS, and 3) people who work at SRS are less concerned about the storage of nuclear material or accidents at the site than are people who never worked at the site.
Nuclear power plants can theoretically influence property values through a number of different channels. The public perception of risk associated with the potential hazard from the operation of a nuclear reactor and the storage of nuclear waste may lead to lower bids on properties in close proximity to the plant. In contrast, workers at the plant may be less concerned with any potential hazards, and may actually value being in proximity to the workplace. Hence, one cannot a priori sign the distance gradient of homes in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant. In this study, a hedonic model coupled with geographic information system (GIS) techniques is used to estimate housing price surfaces around two nuclear power plants in California. The use of GIS software allows more potential influences to housing prices to be accurately incorporated than previously included in hedonic studies. Based on the evidence from the plants chosen, these findings do not support the contention that negative imagery surrounding nuclear power plants or stored nuclear waste has a significant detrimental influence on residential home prices in the immediate vicinity of these facilities.
This paper examines the attitudes of 285 hunters and fishermen from South Carolina about hunting and fishing, risk, environmental issues, and future land use of the Savannah River Site. We test the null hypothesis that there is no difference in hunting and fishing rates, attitudes toward the safety of fish and deer obtained from SRS, attitudes toward future land use at SRS, and perceptions of the severity of environmental problems as a function of how far respondents lived from the site. Respondents hunted or fished an average of over 40 days a year, and only half felt that the fish and deer from SRS were safe to eat. Willingness to expend federal funds was correlated with perceptions of the severity of the problem. Preferences for future land use at SRS fell into three categories: high (environmental research park, hunting, fishing, camping), medium (nuclear production, factories, preserve only), and low (nuclear waste storage, residential). There were no differences in hunting and fishing rates, ranking of the severity of environmental problems, and willingness to expend federal funds as a function of distance of residence from SRS, but attitudes toward future land use differed significantly as a function of location of residence. Those living close to SRS were more willing to have the site used for factories, residential, nuclear material production and to store nuclear wastes than those living farther from the site. Our data on recreational rates, attitudes toward future land use, and willingness to expend federal funds to solve environmental problems reiterate the importance of assessing stakeholder attitudes toward decisions regarding future land use at DOE sites
To manage ecosystems it is essential to understand physical properties and biological function, as well as the ecological services and social/cultural perceptions of a variety of stakeholders. Where land managers are required to make decisions about restoration, remediation and future land use, understanding attitudes and future land use preferences is essential. In this paper I synthesize data on five surveys of recreational rates and preferences for future land use for the Department of Energy's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). Subjects were interviewed at several well-attended events at different distances from INEEL, representing local and regional views. Between 24 and 59% of the subjects hunted, between 55 and 71% fished, and up to 87% camped, indicating potential for exposure if INEEL were open for recreation. Average recreational rates varied by location, with the Shoshone-Bannock Indians having higher hunting, fishing, hiking and camping rates than all others. There were significant differences in future land use preferences; subjects living close to the site rated nuclear material processing very high, while those living farther away ranked it intermediate. Indians ranked this use the lowest. Using the land as a National Environmental Research Park (NERP) was rated the highest (or nearly the highest) for all groups. Industrial uses were generally rated low by all groups. These data can be used by local planners and policy makers in decision making regarding levels of clean-up, future land use, future end-states and long-term protection and stewardship of these contaminated lands. The relative unanimity in future land use preferences for NERP and recreation, rather than new industrial purposes, provides guidance for remediation, suggesting that residential clean-up standards may be more stringent than required. Further, the relative approval of continued nuclear reprocessing (but not nuclear storage) also provides guidance for risk-based end-state planning.
Management of ecosystems has been improved both by our understanding of how ecosystems function, as well as by what people consider to be suitable future land uses. This is particularly true with contaminated lands where decisions must be made about clean-up and future land use. In this paper I synthesize several surveys of public recreational rates and preferences for future land use of the Savannah River Site (SRS), a Department of Energy (DoE) facility located in South Carolina. Four groups of people were interviewed: on-site hunters; sportsmen; local residents attending an event near Aiken, South Carolina; and the general public attending a festival in Columbia, South Carolina. The general public that engaged in recreational activities averaged 20 days/ year or more for hunting and fishing, while sportsmen averaged over 50 days/year. All four groups rated maintaining SRS as a National Environmental Research Park (NERP) and using it for recreation as the highest preferred land uses. The general public rated hiking and camping higher than hunting and fishing, while sportsmen rated hunting higher than hiking and camping. All groups rated using SRS for homes as the lowest, or second lowest, preferred land use. There was disagreement on the ratings for industrial development, with people living closer to the site rating it higher than the general South Carolina population. These data can be used by local planners and managers in decision making regarding clean-up levels and future land use. The relative unanimity of views for cleaning up DoE sites, continued use of the site as a NERP and increased recreational use suggests that different groups of people share similar preferences for future use of SRS, and provides a useful paradigm for considering future land use decisions at other DoE sites nationwide. The relatively low ranking for housing and factories suggests that clean-up levels could be geared to future land use, such as recreation, which are less stringent than residential levels.
Mean risk magnitude judgments expressed by Belgian and French students on 107 items combining a particular energy domain (wood and biomass, coal, gas, oil, nuclear, water, wind, geothermal and solar) and a particular aspect of the energy production process (obtaining raw materials, storage of raw materials, transport of raw materials, energy production, waste products related to energy production, energy transport, waste products transport, waste products storage, utilization of energy) are reported, and analyzed. Questions were of the form: What is the level of risk (for health and the environment) associated with the item "Electrical energy production by thermodynamic conversion"? Concerning energy domains, nuclear energy received the highest ratings, almost regardless of the aspect of the energy production process considered (from the extraction of raw materials to the storage of production wastes). This was followed by oil, obtaining the next highest ratings after those for nuclear energy, then gas, considered more risky than biomass and coal. The brand image of these two latter energy sources would be almost as positive as that of water, solar, geothermal and wind energy if a solution could be found to the problem of atmospheric emission of carbon monoxide. Concerning production process aspects, waste products (as well as the transport and storage of waste) received the highest ratings. This is not unrelated to the fact that the vast majority of studies devoted to a particular area or particular aspect have concerned nuclear waste. in contrast, no very high degree of concern was found regarding the energy (electrical) transport aspect.
To understand public preferences for energy sources, 2701 US residents were surveyed; 2101 of the respondents lived within 50 miles of a major nuclear facility. Over 90% wanted greater reliance on solar and wind, and over 70% wanted more reliance upon hydroelectric sources. Less than one-third wanted more use of oil and coal. Nuclear and natural gas sources were closer to an even split. Notably, those who lived near nuclear facilities favored the same sources, although a larger proportion of these respondents favored increasing use of nuclear power than in the national sample. These results are consistent with other United States surveys. The study found striking differences in preferences by age, ethnicity/race and other demographic characteristics that need in-depth investigation in order to help decision-makers and everyone else better understand public preferences about energy policy choices.
The recent trend towards cooperative management and prevention of workplace injuries has introduced numerous health and safety actors to the workplace with varying amounts and types of expertise. The purpose of this qualitative research project was to explore the understandings of risk as experienced by food service workers (FSW) and how these compare with an 'expert' in risk assessment. In total 13 FSW, selected based on age, work location, and gender, and one experienced Ergonomist participated in the study. In-depth semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with each participant and transcripts of the interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis by drawing on methods closely related to grounded theory. The findings of this study indicated that the risks for occupational injury as experienced by FSW were multi-dimensional in nature representing not only the physical requirements of the individual's job, but also the social interactions of the FSW with their coworkers, management, and the organization. FSW were also found to be a rich source of knowledge and experience concerning occupational risk and may be under-utilized when designing interventions. The results of this study support a cooperative team approach to reduce the risks of injury in the workplace, with a specific emphasis on inclusion of the worker.
Explores the quasi-experimental study and the impact of the implementation of TQM on well-being and work-related perceptions among hospital staff. The survey was carried out before and after the implementation of TQM in a surgical clinic and at the same time in two non-TQM surgical clinics which served as the control group. The results revealed that an economically feasible TQM implementation may not necessarily alter the wellbeing (in terms of job satisfaction, work motivation, and organizational commitment) and work-related perceptions (including goal and process clarity, openness of communication, extent of participation and innovativeness, and degree of autonomy) of the staff. However, problems in commitment to TQM emerged among the physicians.
Public and political opposition have made finding locations for new nuclear power plants, waste management, and nuclear research and development facilities a challenge for the U.S. government and the nuclear industry. U.S. government-owned properties that already have nuclear-related activities and commercial nuclear power generating stations are logical locations. Several studies and utility applications to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission suggest that concentrating locations at major plants (CLAMP) has become an implicit siting policy. We surveyed 2,101 people who lived within 50 miles of 11 existing major nuclear sites and 600 who lived elsewhere in the United States. Thirty-four percent favored CLAMP for new nuclear power plants, 52% for waste management facilities, and 50% for new nuclear laboratories. College educated, relatively affluent male whites were the strongest CLAMP supporters. They disproportionately trusted those responsible for the facilities and were not worried about existing nuclear facilities or other local environmental issues. Notably, they were concerned about continuing coal use. Not surprisingly, CLAMP proponents tended to be familiar with their existing local nuclear site. In short, likely CLAMP sites have a large and politically powerful core group to support a CLAMP policy. The challenge to proponents of nuclear technologies will be to sustain this support and expand the base among those who clearly are less connected and receptive to new nearby sites.
The authors analyzed empirically the roles of impatience-irritability and ambition-energy components of the Type A behavior pattern (TABP) in the occupational stressor-strain relationship. They tested three models, using a sample of 659 industrial managers to determine whether the TABP components affected strain independently from perceived stressors (the direct effects model); or indirectly, by moderating effects of perceived stressors (the moderated effects model); or whether perceived stressors provoked TABP components, which influenced the number of strain symptoms (the mediated effects model). Multiple regression procedures showed, as expected, that the two TABP components acted quite differently in the stress process. With the direct effects model, the impatience-irritability component consistently increased numbers of psychological and physiological symptoms, regardless of perceived occupational stressors. The ambition-energy component, on the other hand, was activated by an abundance of development possibilities experienced at work. This, in turn, partly explained the decrease in perceived levels of psychological and physiological symptoms. The results relating to the ambition-energy component supported the mediated effects model and demonstrated a positive effect on subjective health perceptions.
750 male industrial managers participated in a survey specifying the role of sense of coherence in occupational stress. A strong sense of coherence buffered from strain almost independently of respondents' age, exposure to stressors, or perceived stressors; however, a strong sense of coherence was slightly related to the selection of individuals into jobs characterized by relatively low exposure to such stressors as lack of control and role ambiguity. Sense of coherence did not moderate the relationship among exposure to stressors, perceived stressors, and strain experienced.
The Department of Energy owns land in 34 states, and most of these lands have been off limits to the public for over 50 years. Although some parts of each site are contaminated, most of many sites are not. With the ending of the Cold War, the department is considering alternative land uses. In this article, the perceptions of hunters and fishermen allowed on site for a limited time were examined, about environmental concerns, future land use, and cleanup options. Although loss of jobs was the foremost concern, preserving parts of the site had more support as a future land use than continuing the nuclear mission, and nearly three-quarters of the sample supported cleanup, regardless of cost. On-site employment was a significant indicator of lower concern about safety and environmental issues, less support for designating the site for research, and more concern for maintaining jobs.
A recent public opinion survey (Harris, 1980) reported the following three results:
a)
Among four “leadership groups” (top corporate executives investors/lenders, Congressional representatives and federal regulators), 94–98% of all respondents agreed with the statement “even in areas in which the actual level of risk may have decreased in the past 20 years, our society is significantly more aware of risk.”
b)
Between 87% and 91% of those four leadership groups felt that “the mood of the country regarding risk” will have a substantial or moderate impact “on investment decisions — that is, the allocation of capital in our society in the decade ahead.” (The remainder believed that it would have a minimal impact, no impact at all, or were not sure.)
c)
No such consensus was found, however, when these groups were asked about the appropriateness of this concern about risk. A majority of the top corporate executives and a plurality of lenders believed that “American society is overly sensitive to risk,” whereas a large majority of Congressional representatives and federal regulators believed that “we are becoming more aware of risk and taking realistic precautions”. A sample of the public endorsed the latter statement over the former by 78% – 15%.
In this article, we summarize previous empirical studies that examined antecedents, correlates, and/or consequences of organizational commitment using meta-analysis. In total, 48 meta-analyses were conducted, including 26 variables classified as antecedents, 8 as consequences, and 14 as correlates. Statistical artifacts were found to account for the variance between studies in only one meta-analysis that used attendance. Type of organizational commitment (attitudinal vs. calculative) was proposed as a moderator variable and was found to account for significant between-study variance in 9 of 18 comparisons. Theoretical and methodological issues pertaining to the measurement of various forms of organizational commitment, its interrelations with other forms of attachments, and its role in causal models of behavior in organizations are reviewed. Directions for future research are highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved)
In this article, we summarize previous empirical studies that examined antecedents, correlates, and/or consequences of organizational commitment using meta-analysis. In total, 48 meta-analyses were conducted, including 26 variables classified as antecedents, 8 as consequences, and 14 as correlates. Statistical artifacts were found to account for the variance between studies in only one meta-analysis that used attendance. Type of organizational commitment (attitudinal vs. calculative) was proposed as a moderator variable and was found to account for significant between-study variance in 9 of 18 comparisons. Theoretical and methodological issues pertaining to the measurement of various forms of organizational commitment, its interrelations with other forms of attachments, and its role in causal models of behavior in organizations are reviewed. Directions for future research are highlighted.
This study attempted to verify and extend previous research on people's perceptions of the risks and benefits of technology and their judgments concerning the acceptability of technology safety regulations. The study addressed several limitations of prior work, in that: (1) it was the first “expressed-preference” study to collect data from large, representative samples of Americans; (2) the research design made “person,” rather than “technology,” the unit of statistical analysis; and (3) the study employed an expanded set of independent variables, including three qualitative benefit characteristics. The results confirmed several major conclusions of prior expressed-preference research, the most important being that members of the public tend to define “risks,”“benefits,” and “acceptability” in a complex, multidimensional manner; and that their definitions differ significantly from those used by professional risk-managers and other technical experts in quantitative assessments of risk and acceptability. The results also indicated that people's stances toward technology regulation tend to cut across traditional sociodemographic lines.
This paper summarizes a stream of research aimed at developing and validating a measure of employee commitment to work organizations. The instrument, developed by Porter and his colleagues, is called the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ). Based on a series of studies among 2563 employees in nine divergent organizations, satisfactory test-retest reliabilities and internal consistency reliabilities were found. In addition, cross-validated evidence of acceptable levels of predictive, convergent, and discriminant validity emerged for the instrument. Norms for males and females are presented based on the available sample. Possible instrument limitations and future research needs on the measurement and study of organizational commitment are reviewed
This is a study of knowledge, risk perception, and attitudes among nuclear power plant employees. A total of 236 persons participated, belonging to 10 different professional groups and working at two Swedish power plants. Job-related radiation risks were judged about average as compared to a number of other risks. On the whole, the participants in the study were satisfied with the measures of safety at work, but there were some exceptions to this rule, especially among those hired for temporary jobs through external contractors. The experience of job-related radiation risks was related to the level of knowledge about radiation and its risks: those who knew less experienced larger risks. General level of anxiety did not correlate with risk perception. The latter was accounted for mainly by perceived radiation risks. Job satisfaction was more strongly related to perceived conventional job risks than to nuclear risks. Risk ratings were related to how subjects defined the concept of risk. Those who stressed consequences as part of their risk definition gave higher risk ratings.
The mental health of 104 nuclear workers at the Three Mile Island plant was compared with that of 122 workers from another nuclear plant and 151 workers from two coal-fired generating plants. The coal-fired plant workers were somewhat more symptomatic than the nuclear plant workers. Assessments of work environments showed that the coal-fired plant workers perceived less stress but more problems with workplace exposures than the nuclear plant workers. Negative perceptions of work and marital stress were both strongly and independently related to mental distress. Overall, the results suggest that the Three Mile Island accident did not engender long-term psychological difficulties in workers evaluated 2.5 years after the accident.
This study proposes and tests a preliminary model concerning the antecedents and outcomes of employee commitment to organizations using a cross-validational framework. The study was carried out among 382 hospital employees and 119 scientists and engineers. It was found that for both samples personal characteristics, job characteristics, and work experiences influenced commitment. Moreover, commitment was found to be strongly related to intent and desire to remain for both samples and moderately related to attendance and turnover for one sample. Performance was generally unrelated to commitment. Results are compared with earlier findings and implications for future research are discussed.
Work Organization, Production Technology and Men-tal Strain: A Study in the Printing Industry Report of the lnsti-tute of Occupational Health
- Koskinen
Koskinen " Work Organization, Production Technology and Men-tal Strain: A Study in the Printing Industry, " Report of the lnsti-tute of Occupational Health, 174, Helsinki, (in Finnish with English summary, 1981).
Nuclear Phobia: Phobic Thinking about Nuclear Power' (The Media Institute
- R Dupont
R. DuPont, Nuclear Phobia: Phobic Thinking about Nuclear Power' (The Media Institute, Washington, 1980).
Facts and Fears: Understanding Perceived Risk Societal Risk Assessment: How Safe is Safe Enough? (Plenum
- P Slovic
- B Fischhoff
- S Lichtenstein
P. Slovic, B. Fischhoff and S. Lichtenstein " Facts and Fears: Understanding Perceived Risk, " in R. Schwing and W. Albers, Jr. (eds.), Societal Risk Assessment: How Safe is Safe Enough? (Plenum, New York, 1980).
Employee-Organ-izational Linkages
- R T Mowday
- L W Porter
- R M Steers
R.T. Mowday, L.W. Porter, and R.M. Steers, Employee-Organ-izational Linkages (Academic Press, New York, 1982).
Man in Progessing Production " (Final report, The Institute of Occupational Health
- Tuukkanen
Tuukkanen, " Man in Progessing Production " (Final report, The Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, (in Finnish, 1989).
Method for the Assessment of Mental Stress Factors: Study on Reliability and Validity
- A L Elo
- M R Vehvilainen
A.L. Elo, and M.R. Vehvilainen, " Method for the Assessment of Mental Stress Factors: Study on Reliability and Validity " (Re-port of the Institute of Occupational Health, 196, Helsinki, in Finnish with English summary, 1983).
Attitudes on Energy in 1990: A Follow-Up Study on the Public Attitudes of the Finnish Population Toward the Energy Policy
- P Kiljunen
P. Kiljunen, " Attitudes on Energy in 1990: A Follow-Up Study on the Public Attitudes of the Finnish Population Toward the Energy Policy " (Tampere University Press, Tampere 1991).
Stressors in the Organization of Work, Perceived Symptoms, and Job Satisfaction in Rubber In-dustry'' (Tyo ja ihminen
- A L Elo
- E Tuorninen
A.L. Elo and E. Tuorninen, " Stressors in the Organization of Work, Perceived Symptoms, and Job Satisfaction in Rubber In-dustry'' (Tyo ja ihminen, 2, 149-162, in Finnish with English summary, 1987).
Perceived Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: A Survey by Gallup Ltd. " (newspaper item, in Finnish The Human Factor in Nuclear Energy Production
- Helsingin Sanomat
- H Nysten
- R Kalimo
Helsingin Sanomat, " Perceived Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: A Survey by Gallup Ltd. " (newspaper item, in Finnish, 1990), 19. H. Nysten and R. Kalimo, " The Human Factor in Nuclear Energy Production " (Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, unpub-lished report in Finnish, 1987).
Screening of Subjective Symptoms of Early Toxic Effects
- H Hanninen
- E Tuominen
- K Rantala
- K Nyman
H. Hanninen, E. Tuominen, K. Rantala, and K. Nyman, " Screen-ing of Subjective Symptoms of Early Toxic Effects " (Tyo ja ihmi-nen, 3, 201-213, in Finnish with English summary, 1987).
Organization Development in an Institution for Mentally Handicapped" (Institute of Occupational Health
- M Kivimaki
- K Lindstrom
M. Kivimaki and K. Lindstrom, " Organization Development in an Institution for Mentally Handicapped " (Institute of Occupa-tional Health, Helsinki, unpublished report in Finnish, 1992).
The Institute of Occupational Health
- R Kalimo
- M Okkonen Elo
- K Harkki
- V Ruohio
- A Tuukkanen
Perceived Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: A Survey by Gallup Ltd
- Helsinginsanomat
Work Organization, Production Technology and Mental Strain: A Study in the Printing Industry
- R Kalimo
- A Lepplnen
- P Seppala
- V Louhevaara
- P Koskinen
The Human Factor in Nuclear Energy Production" (Institute of Occupational Health
- H Nysten
- R Kalimo
Man in Progessing Production" (Final report, The Institute of Occupational Health
- R Kalimo
- M Okkonen
- K Elo
- V Harkki
- A Ruohio
- Tuukkanen
Stressors in the Organization of Work, Perceived Symptoms, and Job Satisfaction in Rubber Industry
- A L Elo
- E Tuominen
Nyman “Screening of Subjective Symptoms of Early Toxic Effects
- H E Hänninen
- K Tuominen
- Rantala
Tuominen “Stressors in the Organization of Work Perceived Symptoms and Job Satisfaction in Rubber Industry” (Työ ja ihminen 2 149-162 in Finnish with English summary
- A L Eloande