Weidman, J E; Dickerson, D E and Koebel, C T (2016) Technology champions: A theory-based intervention to improve adoption of occupational safety innovations. International Journal of Construction Education and Research, 12(3), pp. 193-207. ISSN 1557-8771
Abstract
Prevention-through-design (PtD) is a new initiative to reduce occupational risks by developing lower-risk tools, equipment, methods, and materials. Once PtD innovations have been developed, the challenge is to have them adopted by industry. A theory-based intervention involving the creation of "technology champions" to improve construction firm adoption of a PtD innovation was developed, implemented, and tested. Technology Champions were created in firms through a methodology entitled "enhanced trialability." In a controlled pre-test/post-test experimental design, firm decision-maker (n=40) readiness to adopt the PtD innovation was assessed using a validated survey instrument. Enhanced trialability was successful in producing technology champions. Also, gain-score t-test analysis found significant improvements in 'innovation adoption readiness' among firms with technology champions, when compared to firms with no technology champions (p = .01). This intervention can be used by future researchers and occupational safety and health practitioners to improve adoption of safety innovations.; Prevention-through-design (PtD) is a new initiative to reduce occupational risks by developing lower-risk tools, equipment, methods, and materials. Once PtD innovations have been developed, the challenge is to have them adopted by industry. A theory-based intervention involving the creation of "technology champions" to improve construction firm adoption of a PtD innovation was developed, implemented, and tested. Technology Champions were created in firms through a methodology entitled "enhanced trialability." In a controlled pre-test/post-test experimental design, firm decision-maker (n=40) readiness to adopt the PtD innovation was assessed using a validated survey instrument. Enhanced trialability was successful in producing technology champions. Also, gain-score t-test analysis found significant improvements in 'innovation adoption readiness' among firms with technology champions, when compared to firms with no technology champions (p = .01). This intervention can be used by future researchers and occupational safety and health practitioners to improve adoption of safety innovations.;
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | innovation; construction methods; construction management; health hazards; construction equipment; construction; occupational safety; technological change; innovations |
| Index terms: | technological change, trialability, occupational safety and health, occupational safety, prevention, innovation adoption, construction equipment, experimental design, practitioner, methodology, health hazard, survey, construction method, construction firm |
| Subjects: | innovation studies, practitioner, organization, research design and methodology, data collection methods, construction equipment, financial risk, research methods, environmental hazards, building construction, occupational health and safety management |
| Topics: | Site Management, Cost Management, Business Strategy, Health and Safety, Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Plant and Equipment, Sustainability |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here