Articles

TASA ID:

Elder abuse is a growing problem in the United States. And sadly, the problem is likely to continue to increase as the American population ages. This article explores what elder abuse is and then provides resources that a concerned individual can access to help someone who is potentially experiencing elder abuse. 

TASA ID: 10544

Stress and burnout are emerging as possibly the biggest threats to the security industry.  Long hours, coupled with “alert overload” along with a perceived unfavorable opinion of business value are taking a toll on the industry.  One of the reasons for this is that since security does not produce revenue it is considered a “cost center.”  Security operations may negatively affect profitability and throughout the years have been considered a “necessary expense” of doing business.  One of the ways good security was explained in the retail industry years ago was, what you don’t see on the monthly P & L (Profit and Loss Statement).  Organizations tend to “forget” about security until something “bad” happens and many times, “bad” things happen because of security employee stress and/or security employee burnout.  It doesn’t matter whether security is in-house or outsourced, burnout remains the same. Security is a profession that requires strict attention to detail and focused attention at all times.  Many times, complacency will cause those working in the industry to miss important indicators or clues that there is a security issue.  Accountability is a key factor.  It doesn’t matter whether or not security personnel have limited security experience or are seasoned veterans, accountability in the security industry remains the same. 

TASA ID: 321

Police officers today deal with many issues. They face danger every day and it is compounded with the current social issues in our society, including the animosity towards police officers and the calls for defunding the police. In this social climate, they have to be more aware than ever of how they respond to situations that may call for utilizing force. It gets even trickier when the officer(s) has to respond to a situation involving individuals that may reasonably be in crisis. These situations necessitate an officer to make immediate and difficult judgments about the mental state and intent of the individual. Since the goal is to effectively resolve the situation with as little violence as possible, officers are often called upon to use special skills, techniques and abilities beyond the “use of force” training they normally receive in order to effectively resolve the situation. They must de-escalate the situation safely for all individuals involved within defined safety priorities, using the laws of the jurisdiction to guide them.

TASA ID: 9075

I’m a psychologist who has devoted my career to traffic safety, in particular fleet safety.  Two psychological laws of human behavior are the Law of Individual Differences and the Law of Behavioral Consistency (Holland, 1975).  In any group of people, such as a fleet of drivers, one can expect wide differences in behavioral tendencies.  Psychological differences most relevant to safe driving include sensation-seeking, risk perception, impulsivity, and conscientiousness (i.e., obeying rules).  At the same time, each individual’s behavioral tendencies are likely to stay remarkably consistent over time and across various situations.  Indeed, the psychological definition of personality is behavioral consistency over time and across situations.  Future behavior and risk can be predicted based on past behaviors and events.  That’s why we screen fleet drivers for their driving histories and more broadly for their personal histories in other areas of their lives.

Fleet managers should think positively and seek to recognize and reward safe driving and loyal service.  Yet one must be alert for red flags signaling risk.  One bad driver can damage the reputation and even the viability of a whole fleet.  Among those red flags are safety belt non-use and involvement in single-vehicle crashes such as rollovers and run-off-road.

TASA ID: 9075

Driver fatigue is a persistent safety risk, especially for commercial drivers and other fleet drivers who may be driving at night and/or for long distances.  Falling asleep-at-the-wheel (AATW) is the most dangerous fatigue risk.  A 3-4 second highway “microsleep” means a football field of unguided vehicle motion.  AATW crashes usually occur when drivers nod off and then drift off the road where they strike a fixed object or perhaps roll down an embankment.  Such crashes are often severe.  In fact, fatigue involvement in fatal crashes is five times that of minor crashes (FMCSA, 2014; Tefft, 2012).  In addition to human risks, AATW crashes can be high-liability.  Truck driver AATW cases have resulted in multi-million dollar “nuclear verdicts” when 80,000 lb. trucks strike passenger cars one-twentieth of their size.

Below are 39 ways that these crash risks can be reduced.  A bonus is that many of the same practices reducing driver drowsiness also boost overall human health, well-being and performance.  The first 18 are individual behaviors to promote in fatigue education programs.  The remaining 21 are organizational policies and practices which foster those same positive behaviors and outcomes.