Psychology of safety of life activity

Psychology of safety of life activity ensures the important link in .the structure of measures on maintenance of safe activity of the person. The problem of accident rate and injuries at the modern plants, factories, etc can't be solved by engineering methods only.

The experience testifies, that the major causes of the accident rate and injuries are not the engineering-designer defects, but organizational – psychological causes, low professional training on safety, insufficient education, insufficient instructing the expert on safety laws keeping, admission to dangerous work with increased risk of injury people being under condition of fatigue or other psychological condition reducing workability (safety) of an expert.

International experience and researches testify that from 60 to 90 % of injuries in private life and in industry are caused by the victims' fault.

Psychology of safety implies applying psychological knowledge to provide safety life activity of the person. Psychology of safety studies mental processes, its properties and in particular it analyzes various forms of mental condition in details, which are observed during working.

Structure of mental activity of the person comprises three main groups of components: mental processes, properties and conditions.

The efficiency of person's activity is based on the level of mental stress. The mental stress up to appropriate level produces positive influence on work outcome. Exceeding critical level of activation results in loosing work outcome down to full disablement.

Excessive forms of mental stress effect as overloading. The normal loading (emotional stimulation) of an operator should not exceed 40-60 % of the maximum loading.

More expressed forms of mental stress induce coordination loss; there can be unproductive forms of behavior and other negative phenomena. Depending on prevalence of either excited or inhibited processes it is possible to select two types of overloading mental stress – excited and inhibited.

Inhibited type is characterized by constraint and decreased speed of movements. The expert is unable to keep working with such dexterity and speed as earlier. Speed of special reactions is reduced. Process of thinking is slowed down, memory gets worsened, and there is confusion and other negative indications unusual for the person in normal state.

Excited type is exhibited as hyperactivity, verbiage, hands and voice trembling. Operators make numerous actions induced by concrete need for only one action. They check up condition of devices, fix a cloth and rub hands. Speaking to the others, they behave nervous, unusual for them sharp, rough, insulting.

Thus, overloading forms of mental stress are frequently basis for an error in operations and incorrect behavior in complicated situation. Long mental stress and in particular its overloading creates a certain fatigue condition.

The organization of operators mental condition controlling is necessary because of possible emerging of special mental condition, which are not natural for a person, but arise spontaneously or under influence of external factors, which significantly change work capacity of the person. Among the special mental conditions, which matter for mental reliability of an operator, it is necessary to select paroxysmal disorder of consciousness, psycho-gene changes of mood, states induced by using psychologically active means (stimulators, tranquilizers, alcoholic drinks).

Paroxysmal states form groups of disorder of various origins (organic brain diseases, epilepsy, insanity) which is characterized by short-term, from seconds up to minutes, loss of consciousness.

In extreme forms the falling and convulsive movements of the whole body and body parts are observed.

Paroxysmal interruptions during operator's activity can cause crucial consequences, which hold true to truck drivers, steeplejacks, erectors and constructors working at height.

The modern methods for psycho-physiological research allow detecting people with hidden predisposition to paroxysmal condition in time.

Psycho-gene changes of mood and temporary insanity come under influence of mental activity. Being in low spirits and apathy can go on from several hours up to 1-2 months. Losses of relatives and close people, conflict situations get person in low spirits. Then it comes apathy, slackness, total constraint, inhibited state, difficulties to switch attention, slowing down of thinking. The lowering of mood is followed by self-control worthiness and can cause industrial injuries.

Under influence of insult, failures in work the affect states (affect - explosion of emotions) can develop.

In the state of affect consciousness survives its mental (emotional) shrink of volume. One can witness various movements, aggressive and destroying acting. People prone to affective states belong to the category with increased risk of injury and should not be appointed for specialities with high responsibility.

Medical and alcoholic changes of mental state are connected with using of psychologically active means. Modern medicine has the large range of psycho-pharmacological means, which influence mental activity and condition of the person.

The practical experience testifies that taking easy stimulators (tea, coffee) helps struggle sleepy state and can assist work capacity increasing for short period. But taking active stimulators («фенамін», «первітин» etc) at responsible works is capable to induce negative effect – worsening health, decreasing mobility and speed of reaction.

Public distribution of tranquilizers («седуксен», «еленіум») is a special problem. Giving an expressed calm state and preventing development of neurosis these pills can reduce mental activity, slow down reaction, induce apathy and sleepy states, what's also dangerous when operation requiring attention are fulfilled.

Drunkenness and alcoholism is also a serious problem for SLA.

Inadmissibility of using alcoholic drinks in office time and their influence on work capacity are well-known.

By various facts accidents on the road in 40-60 % of-cases are connected with using alcohol, and 56-64 % of fatal cases in industry are caused by using alcohol and error operation.

A post-alcohol asthenia (hang-over) takes a special place in safety of work. Progressing after the day alcohol had been taken is not just reducing work capacity, but also leads to breakdown and decrease of sensation of safety.

Mental activity changing under the influence of private life and industrial activity puts before the engineers-organizers of industrial activity a problem of creation of the system controlling mental condition of an operator.

SLA in its essence is directed to guard a person from a danger. At the same time it is necessary to remember, that the person himself is the carrier of potential danger. This is about evolving harmful substances, radiating heat, what can cause various kinds of accidents owing to error operations.

Besides, it is necessary to remember that behavior of people in crowd, especially in panic, has its own laws differing from the behavior of one person. The laws of group psychology are necessary to take into account for analysis of dangerous (in particular emergency) situations.

Psychological science gives some recommendations for correction of reaction of people behavior in extreme situations. Compatibility between the person and medium elements makes condition of the system «person-medium» safe. When such compatibility is not present the following consequences are possible:

- decreasing of work capacity of the person;

- development of common and professional diseases;

- damage, fire, explosion;

- industrial injuries.