All Farmers’ Risks Are Below Average

Details

• Personal Author:
  May JJ
• Description:
  Just down (or is it up?) the road from Marshfield, WI, lies the mythical town of Lake Woebegone, where, famously, "all the children are above average." The situation is just the opposite for health and safety in the workplace. All workers (including farmers) are below average - at least in terms of their perception of risk. Optimistic bias is the phenomenon by which individuals believe themselves less likely to be harmed by negative events as compared to others. It is, in short, the belief that bad things will happen to other people. This view appears to be situational - it does not apply for any given individual in all instances. If optimistic bias is not universal, it certainly is a common aspect of the human condition, ranging across ages, genders, education levels, occupations, and cultures. Since first being described in the 1980s, there have been literally hundreds of studies of "comparative optimism" influencing peoples' perception of personal risk in myriad situations. Japanese students, bungee jumpers, sex workers, male drivers, smokers, drinkers, eaters, and sun tanners all find ways to exempt themselves from generally recognized risks. And farmers. Sorensen et al. found optimistic bias to be one of the most consistent barriers encountered during in-depth explorations of farmers' decisions not to retrofit vulnerable tractors with rollover protective structures. Subsequent discussions of power takeoff shielding also revealed evidence of comparative optimism influencing farmers' view of risk and related decisions. While it appears to be a barrier to some desirable safety behaviors, optimistic bias is also acknowledged to be a mechanism for self-enhancement and self-defense. It may serve to protect self-esteem and guard against depression and anxiety. In some situations optimistic expectations were associated with positive attitudes, positive mood, an elevated sense of control, reduced anxiety, increased attention to risk information, and engagement in more health-promoting behaviors. Thus, optimistic bias is best viewed as a two-edged sword. In addition to its ego-enhancing effects, this unrealistic optimism can be maladaptive and associated with less attentive processing of risk information and reduced motivation to change risky behaviors. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Behavior Demography Health Promotion Occupational Health Risk Assessment Safety
• Keywords:
  Attitude Demographic Characteristics Health Communications Health Promotion Psychological Adaptation Psychological Responses Risk Management Safety Practices
• ISSN:
  1059-924X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  3-5
• Volume:
  20
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053070
• Citation:
  J Agromedicine 2015 Jan; 20(1):3-5
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Agromedicine
• End Date:
  20270831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:98f9a95591e26d8d46f4336195d667e753bee4cff9fbd78fb5e1cad4cc831e1b6a1fed9a639e2bfa3f9a53a633cba5c6e709252c36e2a391844329953d096d49
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215916/cdc_215916_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 332.40 KB ]