The present study examined the usefulness of personal variables: noise annoyance, and components of the protection motivation theory (R. W. Rogers, 1983) along with social-organizational factors in explaining hearing protection device (HPD) use among Israeli manufacturing workers. Participants were 281 men exposed to harmful noise levels for which routine HPD use is required by regulation. In practice, 3 HPD user groups were identified: nonusers (n = 38), occasional users (n = 125), and regular users (n = 118). HPD use was objectively verified. HPD use was primarily related to the personal variables but not to management pressure, coworker pressure, or family support. The most powerful predictors of HPD use were perceived self-efficacy (for long-term HPD use), perceived susceptibility (to hearing loss), and noise annoyance, together explaining 48% of the outcome variance. These findings have implications for interventions aimed at motivating workers to use HPDs regularly.

The authors examined whether hostility would negatively be associated with occupational health behavior, namely, the use of hearing protection devices (HPDs). Also examined as possible mediators were the protection motivation theory (PMT) components and low frustration tolerance (LFT). Participants were 226 male industrial workers, all exposed to potentially hearing-damaging noise. Hostility was negatively related to HPD use. It moderately correlated with the PMT components: negatively with perceived susceptibility, severity, effectiveness, and self-efficacy and positively with perceived barriers. Hostility correlated highly with LFT. Regression analyses confirmed the mediating role of perceived barriers, low self-efficacy, and LFT in the negative relationship between hostility and the use of HPDs. Thus, intrapsychic characteristics of hostile people may be significant for hearing protection behavior.

Notification about work hazards is a legal requirement in advanced industrial countries, but workers have claimed, that in many cases, they do not receive enough information regarding risks, exposure, and medical problems. The recent professional literature on the subject has explored the ways in which notification is delivered without suffıciently considering the psychological incentives and barriers that may affect managers in transmitting risk information. The present study aimed at examining managers' personal determinants and notification of work hazards in a sample of 106 managers and 460 workers in 40 departments of three industrial plants in Israel. Results of our study showed that both managers and workers perceived the importance of the delivery of safety information as quite high (means of 3.43 and 3.7, respectively, out of 5), with managers reporting that they rely primarily on personal modes of communication. Immediate supervisors were regarded by both groups as the most important persons in notification. Managers having past experience in treating injured workers notified more, primarily using personal notification. The most important personal determinants that positively predicted managers' notification were their sense of self-effıcacy and positive expectation of notification. Outcome denial and coping by distancing were negatively correlated with notifying about these risks.

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An innovative course for teaching communication and interpersonal relationships was delivered to 29 environmental and occupational health professionals. This course aimed to highlight interpersonal and emotional aspects in the professional-client interaction and incumbent communication aspects when consulting team members, colleagues, and nonprofessionals in the occupational arena. Various experiential and other teaching techniques were used. Assessment showed that participants reported the positive features of such a course although few changes in either psychosocial abilities or awareness were evident. Possible ramifications of the findings are discussed.

Rabin S, Feiner M, Shaham J, Yekutiele D, Ribak J (1998): Impact of managers' personal determinants in notifying workplace hazards. Am J Ind Med 33:493–500. The academic degree after Judith Shaham's name was incorrect. It should read MD not MA. Thank you. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.