Volume 1 , Number 3 Fall 1999 Employee Safety in the National Park Service

Many factors can contribute to safe and unsafe work practices in National Park Service (NPS) activities. Prior research is reviewed to highlight how factors influencing employee safety occur at multiple levels. Individual characteristics contributing to employee safety include stress and fatigue, and how they influence decision making, judgments, and behaviors. Group characteristics include how employees and team members share information and reach joint decisions. The potential for safety cultures and effective training programs are factors influencing employee safety at the organizational level. Special attention is placed on prior research which specifically addresses NPS employee safety. How lessons from prior research can be useful to NPS managers is emphasized throughout the report.