History of B-BS in Italy
Premise
The Behavior Analysis is a science, like physics, chemistry or biology. As any other
natural science, its aim is to obtain the prediction and control of natural phenomenon that
it studies: human behavior.
As in every science, even in the analysis of behavior have gradually developed specialist areas and specific intervention techniques to be applied in different contexts. One of these contexts is that of safety at work, which has developed a set of methods and techniques that is called Behavior-Based Safety (B-BS).
The B-BS Protocol is the application of behavioral science to real world problems.
In other words, the B-BS is to analysis of behavior such as HIV antiretroviral therapy is to medicine.
The good practice has to be built upon the good theory, Leonardo da Vinci said.
Because of this strict compliance with the laws of the Behavioral Sciences, this Protocol
hosts the primacy with respect to many approaches, guidelines and safety standards
that do not have solid scientific evidence. in spite of this weakness,
these approaches are available for users, namely enterprises and workers,
who often do not have tools to understand these issues.
Once upon a time, B-BS arrived in our country
The first application of behavior analysis to industrial safety dates back to
1978. Komaki, Barwick and Scott applied the principles of Behavior Analysis to industrial safety, principles which until
that moment had been applied to productivity, sales and quality. The experiment
worked and it was published in the Journal of Applied Psycology. Judi Komaki
was one of the main guests at the IV European Congress of B-BS in Venice,
from 14th to 16th of April . Tout se tien, the French would say.
The history of B-BS in Italy is much more recent and still remains tied to U.S. researchers and consultants who have disclosed the protocol in our country.
Everything began with Beth Sulza Azaroff and her speech at the International Congress of ABA (Association for Behavior Analysis),
in Venice, 2001. On that occasion, however, among the 240 conference participants,
only a dozen was Italian.
In 2010 B-BS European Congress, about 400 people attended plenary
session, simposya and workshop (To Be Continued)