Ryan Olson, PhD
- Email:
- olsonry@ohsu.edu
- Position:
- Assistant Scientist, CROET
- Affiliated faculty, PSU Occupational Health Psychology Program
Read more about Dr. Olson's research
Research Interests
SHIFT (Safety & Health Involvement For Truck drivers)
SHIFT is a safety and health intervention for over-the-road truck drivers, but uses an intervention model that can be replicated with other isolated workers. Drivers compete in virtual teams to reduce heart disease risk factors and log safe driving statistics, and are rewarded for both training completion and achievement. SHIFT is currently funded by CROET and the Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety. Please visit www.ohsushift.com to learn more.
Safety Self-Assessment
Behavioral self-monitoring (BSM) methods, where individuals repeatedly observe, evaluate, and record aspects of their own behavior, can produce valuable assessment data about injury hazards and near misses. Dr. Olson has developed and studied BSM assessment instruments with beginning flight students, and more recently with less-than-truckload truck drivers. In a recent study truck drivers completed BSM safety self-assessments while working in a trailer fitted with a camera system.
Vigilance in Safety and Security Work
Human performance on visual screening tasks is increasingly important to public and workplace safety. These tasks require human operators to detect rare but potentially dangerous signals or threats on some type of visual display. For example, workers may search for dangerous and costly deviations in automated manufacturing processes. With Dr. Matthew Bell at Santa Clara University we are using a simulated luggage-screening task to study how signals function as operant reinforcement for observing and searching, and to explore individual differences in susceptibility to monotony and fatigue.
Biography
Dr. Olson earned his bachelors degree in Psychology at Utah State University and advanced degrees in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and Applied Behavior Analysis at Western Michigan University. Dr. Olson joined the CROET faculty in July of 2005.
Dr. Olson is dedicated to developing and understanding effective occupational safety and health interventions. He is particularly interested in self-management methods and interventions for isolated workers. Dr. Olson has extensive experience with transportation industries and two of his current research programs are focused in commercial trucking. Dr. Olson is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management and a research committee member for the Society of Occupational Health Psychology.
Video
Links
PSU Occupational Health Psychology ProgramSelected Publications
Recent Safety & Health Publications
Olson, R. (March 2-4, 2006). Behavioral self-monitoring as an occupational health assessment and intervention technique. In R. Olson (Chair), Technological and self-managed interventions for occupational and public safety-and-health. Symposium presented at the 6th International Conference on Work Stress and Health, Miami, FL. Abstract
Olson, R. & Austin, J. (2006). Performance-based evaluation of flight student landings: Implications for risk management. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 16 (1), 97-112.
Olson, R., & Austin, J. (2005). A step toward early PC-based training that reduces risk: The effects of practicing an “instrument referenced” skill pattern on the “visually referenced” performance of beginning flight students. Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education and Research, 14 (2), 47-61.
Complete Publication List
Manuel, J. M., Sunseri, M., Olson, R., & Scolari, M. (in press). A diagnostic approach to increasing reusable dinnerware selection in a cafeteria. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.
Schoenfelder, E., Olson, R., Bell, M., & Tom, K. (in press). Stop and smell the roses: An activity for teaching the central limit theorem in statistics. Psychology Learning and Teaching.
Olson, R. (March 2-4, 2006). Behavioral self-monitoring as an occupational health assessment and intervention technique. In R. Olson (Chair), Technological and self-managed interventions for occupational and public safety-and-health. Symposium presented at the 6th International Conference on Work Stress and Health, Miami, FL. Abstract.
Olson, R. & Austin, J. (2006). Performance-based evaluation of flight student landings: Implications for risk management. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 16 (1), 97-112.
Olson, R., & Austin, J. (2005). A step toward early PC-based training that reduces risk: The effects of practicing an “instrument referenced” skill pattern on the “visually referenced” performance of beginning flight students. Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education and Research, 14 (2), 47-61.
Olson, R., Verley, J., & Santos, L. (2004). What we teach about the Hawthorne Studies: A review of content within a sample of introductory IO and OB textbooks. The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, 41 (3), 23-39.
Olson, R. (2002). Putting the organizational culture concept to work. The Behavior Analyst Today, 3 (4), 471-481.
Olson, R. & Austin, J. (2001a). Behavior-based safety and working alone: The effects of a self-monitoring package on the safe performance of bus operators. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 21 (3), 5-43.
Olson, R. & Austin, J. (November, 2001b). ABCs for lone workers: How behavior-based safety worked for bus driver safety. Professional Safety.
Olson, R., Rantz, W., & Dickinson, A. M. (2001). Creating continuous improvement in aviation safety: Fitting a behavior-based safety process to flight school operations. Proceedings of the 5th Annual International Australian Aviation Psychology Association Symposium.
Olson, R., Laraway, S., & Austin, J. (2001). Unconditioned and conditioned establishing operations in organizational behavior management. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 21 (2).
Austin, J., Olson, R., & Wellisley, J. A. (2001). The behavior engineering model at work on a small- scale: Using task clarification, self-monitoring, and public posting to improve customer service. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 11 (2), 53-76.
Austin, J., Alvero, A. M., & Olson, R. (1998). Prompting patron safety belt use at a restaurant. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 31 (4), 655-657.
