Behavioral Response to the Presence of Personal Protective Equipment: Implications for Risk Compensation

Abstract

The current study examined the relationship between personal protective equipment (PPE) and compensatory behavior. One hundred ten undergraduate students acted as novice soccer goalies and were randomly placed in one of three groups: with PPE, without PPE, and with/without PPE. Risk was assessed by measuring the distance between a soccer kicker and the goalie. Participants in the first two groups who received only one PPE condition placed the kicker at similar distances. Participants in group three who experienced both PPE conditions moved the kicker significantly closer when PPE was provided. Although the difference between the PPE conditions in group three was significant, only half of the participants in this group moved the kicker closer when PPE was provided. These findings are consistent with previous studies (Streff and Geller, 1988; Stetzer and Hoffman, 1996) and support the idea that PPE produces compensatory behavior in some individuals.