Administration of Highway and Transportation Agencies. Understanding and Developing a Behavior-Based Safety Program for State DOT Employees

Despite significant investments in employee safety policies, training, compliance programs, and safety management systems, state departments of transportation (DOTs) continue to experience incidents with employees that result in injuries, lost time, limited work capability, property damage, and operational disruption. Workplace safety is a mutual priority for the North American Association of Transportation Safety & Health Officials (NAATSHO) and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). While incident reviews can help identify employee decision-making and behavior as contributing factors, employee actions are shaped by the conditions in which work occurs, including supervision, workload, fatigue, resource availability, peer norms, communication, production pressure, environmental conditions, and work design. State DOTs have a responsibility to provide workplaces free from recognized hazards while operating in complex, dynamic, and often high-risk environments. A more complete understanding is needed of how organizational systems, leadership practices, and real-world working conditions influence employee safety behavior and decision-making. Research is also needed to identify practical interventions that support safer choices without relying solely on training, communication, compliance, or disciplinary approaches. The objectives of this research are to develop: (1) A guide that identifies proven and noteworthy approaches, practices, and interventions that promote employee safety behavior and decision-making, including accountability at all levels. (2) A strategic plan to fill gaps in the state of knowledge regarding DOT programs, practices, and interventions that promote employee safety behavior and decision-making.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=6010
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $250,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 20-24(154)

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Retting, Richard

• Start Date: 20260901
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Decision making; Human factors; Occupational safety; Personnel; Safety culture; State departments of transportation
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01979237
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 20-24(154)
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Feb 9 2026 8:11PM