Catalyst: noun.
1. A substance, usually used in small amounts relative to the reactants, that modifies and increases the rate of a reaction
2. Someone or something that helps bring about a change.

As health and safety professionals, we often try to play this catalyst role – affecting the reaction among the managers and workers who ultimately determine the state of health and safety in a workplace. Many of us have found that, while our training has been in the technical aspects of industrial hygiene and workplace safety, our success is more dependent on the human dimension and the workplace relationships that affect the decisions and practices shaping the work environment.

I started this blog based largely on the premise that health and safety professionals can learn a lot from other disciplines – particularly those that examine how and why people make the choices they do.

I recently shared some of my ideas on this topic at the 2010 American Industrial Hygiene Conference (AIHce) in Denver -- you can see my slide deck here.

In future posts I plan to explore research and ideas along these lines. I also would love to hear from people who are struggling with these issues in their own work, and have found approaches that work or don’t work for them.