Answer

  Russel and Bernardin (2013) suggest that there are four general areas which, when incorporated in organizations can help to reduce unsafe or risky behaviors at work. The four areas include the selection of employees, training of personnel, incorporation of rules and regulations, and incentive programs (Russell & Bernardin, 2013). The selection of employees is whereby the right employees are selected and given responsibilities according to their qualifications. Randomly selecting employees without knowing about their behaviors or character traits is unacceptable. Understanding people traits help in the process of averting misunderstandings, which can eventually lead to accidents. Getting the right type of employees requires rigorous training after having taken them through the selection process.  For example, incorporating personality tests for employees is critical in social behavior monitoring (Russell & Bernardin, 2013). The training of personnel is necessary for organizations. Effectively trained workers perform their duties with minimal supervision. In some companies, people work in sensitive departments that require regular training for safety purposes. Experts should carry out the training. For example, staffs working at the factory are constantly trained and reminded of the safety rules to follow while operating the machines. Additionally, the firm should organize for safety seminars where the employees meet with experts in the field to intermingle and learn new safety rules. Rules and regulations are always important in companies for effective performance and safety of the workers. Some activities in organizations expose employees to danger in case they are not governed by rules and regulations. Putting in place rules and regulations enhance coordination and planning, which are key to ensure a safe working environment. For example, a company that deals in the supply of medicinal drugs should set a rule of no drug leaves the warehouse without a qualified pharmacist being around to facilitate the process of picking. Establishing incentive programs in the organization encourages the maintenance of safety standards. The design of the program is such that workers with high-performance standards and safety rule adherence receive recognition and monetary compensation. Additionally, the introduction of bonuses for no incidences of accidents will discourage unethical acts that result in accidents. The main agenda of establishing incentive programs is to encourage workers to constantly observe safety rules.

 The needs analysis is used in identifying the safety rules of the firm. To accomplish this, the organization first has to establish the main purpose of the needs analysis. For example, a company may decide to come up with a safety needs analysis regarding the growing number of injuries happening on a monthly basis. After the establishment of need analysis, data collection follows. Data analysis is eventually carried out to establish the reasons for growing accidents in the firm. Proposing solutions finalizes the whole process (Snell, Morris & Bohlander, 2015).

 To come up with programs through which occupational injury and illnesses can be prevented, the same procedures for needs analysis are applied. In the above case, not only injuries are prevented, but also illnesses. An organization can assign itself a personal doctor to deal with illnesses that affect employees. Testing for certain abused drugs among employees is necessary to avoid instances of impairment at work that might result in the occurrence of accidents. The ultimate goal of the employer is ensuring zero tolerance to unsafe practices by creating a free drug and safe work station.