Three studies testing the effects of role models on product users' safety behavior

Three studies were conducted to determine the effect of a role model's safety behavior on observers' safety behavior. In Studies 1 and 2, role models (confederates) used a cleaning product requiring them to wear safety gloves. Study 1 examined observers' safety behavior after they witnessed a friendly (unfriendly) role model's safety behavior in one of four conditions: 1) wearing rubber gloves, 2) not wearing rubber gloves and experiencing no chemical burn, 3) not wearing rubber gloves and experiencing a mild chemical burn, and 4) not wearing rubber gloves and experiencing a severe chemical burn. In Study 2, participants tested a cleaning product with a warning message (low hazard vs. high hazard) after observing a role model first test the cleaning product in one of the four conditions specified above. As predicted, in Studies 1 and 2, observers were influenced by the role model's safety behavior. However, the friendliness of the role model (Study 1) and level of hazard (Study 2) communicated in the warning message did not influence participants' safety behavior. Using an over-the-counter pain reliever, Study 3 tested the joint effects of: 1) the level of hazard communicated in the warning, 2) observers' outcome-relevant involvement, and 3) role model's compliance. Although the level of hazard communicated in the warning exerted no impact on observers' safety compliance, the role model's safety behavior and level of involvement jointly influenced observers' safety behavior. The implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed. Actual or potential applications of the research include, but are not limited to, using role models in warning messages and safety training programs to demonstrate the proper use of safety gear so as to enhance product users' compliance with safety recommendations.