ASSE Announces Awards for Professional Papers

July 24, 2002
Ergonomics and behavioral safety in the workplace were the winning topics of this year's American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Professional Paper Awards. John Kamp, Ph.D., of Thousand Oaks, Calif., received first place; Clarence C. Rodrigues, Ph.D., PE, CSP, CPE, of Daytona Beach, Fla., received second place; and E. Scott Geller, Ph.D., of Blacksburg, Va., received third place.

Each year, the ASSE Editorial Review Board selects the best original published papers featured in ASSE's Professional Safety Journal. The award recipients received $500, $400 and $300 respectively. Every month, the journal provides in-depth articles aimed at promoting the advancement of the safety profession, focusing on innovative research and analysis of successful real-world applications.

"It's Time to Drag Behavioral Safety into the Cognitive Era," featured in the October 2001 issue, was written by Kamp, director of research and development for NCS Pearson. The paper explains the early concepts and main ideas behind behavioral safety, cognitive psychology and behaviorism to better understand why employees do or do not make an extra effort to work safely. Kamp is a member of ASSE's Valley Coastal Chapter and holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Minnesota.

The April 2001 article by Rodrigues titled, "Ergonomics to the Rescue: A Cost-Justification Case Study," focuses on a company in the process of changing its business approach, which included developing an effective ergonomics program to reduce fines and workers' compensation costs. The case study demonstrated that ergonomics was cost-justified in this situation and it improved the facility's overall ergonomic condition. Rodrigues, associate professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL, is a member of ASSE's Cape Canaveral Chapter and received an ME in civil engineering and a Ph.D. in industrial engineering from Texas A&M University.

Geller's September 2001 article, "Sustaining Participation in a Safety Process: Ten Relevant Principles from Behavioral Science," expands upon common behavior-based knowledge about the human dynamics of safety, to help produce a more lasting change in safety-related attitudes and behaviors. Geller is a senior partner of Safety Performance Solutions and director of the center for Applied Behavior Systems in the Psychology Department of Virginia Tech. A professional member of ASSE's Colonial Virginia Chapter, Geller is also a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society and the World Academy of Productivity and Quality.

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