Faithful readers of this column may have noticed that most of my articles this year have addressed how personality factors relate to individual safety performance. But I believe there is much to be learned about the personality/behavior connection, and especially the implications for workplace health and safety.

My intent with this series of columns, is to stir the pot, to stimulate thinking and conversations among safety and health professionals and hopefully some breakthrough research on the role of personality traits and states in achieving an injury-free workplace. Clearly, there is much to be gained from a better understanding of how personality characteristics affect safety performance.