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KAHNEMAN AND TVERSKY THEORY IMPLICATIONS IN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY. RESEARCH IN POLISH MINING ENTERPRISES

M. Wyganowska, K. Tobor-Osadnik

Abstract

We need to make decisions us throughout our lives. This skill is sometimes necessary even to survive, because our vigilance and behaviour in a crisis situation is the basic mechanism of natural selection. Human behaviour has been the subject of many studies and theories. The expected utility theory, assumes that if a person has a choice of profit x, which is certain and a more favourable option y, but burdened with risk, then he should choose the certain profit. Its usefulness is expected to be higher than the risky option, therefore such a decision. Developing this thesis, it can be said that people should avoid risk at all costs. In practice, however, such theories are more or less deviating from reality, which is why an attempt to answer the question whether people really avoid risk was taken by many psychologists and economists in the 20th century. The best known is the prospect theory developed by D. Kahneman and A. Tversky in 1979. Based on the theory of D. Kahneman and A. Tversky, the authors conducted research on the behaviour of employees in selected Polish hard coal mines. The results of the conducted research confirmed their prospect theory, which was the starting point for further analyses in the field of occupational safety. The authors examined the attitudes of the respondents towards safe work in individual groups made in accordance with this theory. The publication was summed up with final conclusions.

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